In the past, we saw the Baby Boomer generation become extremely influential in spending behaviors. Today, Gen Z is predicted to play a major role in business and brand success in the coming years. The bakery industry is already looking into how it can properly target Gen Z to ensure future success. Here is some insight into Gen Z’s thoughts on baked goods and how bakeries everywhere can benefit from it.

 The good thing is, the love for baked goods in Gen Z is alive and well. In a recent study done by the American Bakers Association (ABA), they found that 78% of Gen Z eat carbs in their regular diet and that 63% purchased a sweet baked good in the past week. Despite their love of baked goods, Gen Z is still passionate about freshness, whole grains and natural ingredients.  For your bakery to grab the younger generations' attention, you must emphasize your use of natural ingredients and freshly baked goods. We have noticed with bakery trends in the past few years that there has been a primary focus on the importance of quality ingredients when it comes to baked goods and with Gen Z, this trend should continue if not strengthen over time.

Along with freshness and natural ingredients, Gen Z is all about how a product looks. Does the artisan bread have a good crust and crumb? Are the cookies all consistent in shape? Are the croissants perfectly rolled and flakey? These are the things that matter to the younger generations. They matter to everyone actually, but Gen Z is particularly insistent on the looks of the products.

In order to ensure a consistent and impressive look of your finished product, a high-quality deck oven and other bakery production equipment are needed. With the proper equipment, you can ensure that your products will be visually pleasing to the customer and grab that much-needed attention.

A visually pleasing product is so important to Gen Z, that social media has started to play a major role. Yes, social media has been around for a while now and its marketing value is well-known at this point. However, the current shift in the type of media displayed on social media and the number of businesses utilizing it has changed over the years. With video and Instagram reels being the preferred types of social content being consumed by Gen Z, it's now more important than ever for bakeries and restaurants to generate as much content as possible.

In fact, according to the ABA report, 76% of Gen Z say virtual viewing has inspired them to try foods in real life. Basically, engaging content of your bakery products will result in sales with Gen Z. If you have been neglecting your social media pages or haven’t even started them, now is the time! By not utilizing social media, your bakery is at an immediate disadvantage.