Christina Adams: The other major trend of the past year is the rise of AI. It’s led to a lot of content being created about which consumers, particularly younger consumers, have an inherent skepticism. There are certainly still some established, trusted influencers who remain relevant, especially as a complement to what brands might say themselves. But, as Kari said, influencers in general are not as trusted now as they might have been a year ago. What matters to Gen Z consumers Monica Toriello: The third trend is about the Gen Z consumer. Christina, tell us more. Christina Adams: Gen Z is here. As a generation, they are established, fast growing, and fast changing. This is a critical moment in time: Gen Z’s average age now is 22. They range in age from 15 to 29. Since last year, there’s been a 45 percent increase in Gen Zers who are saying they’re married, a 23 percent increase in those with children. And 19 percent of Gen Zers are in decision-making roles at work. This generation is fast gaining spending power. They view money differently from generations before them: They care a lot about financial security, but they are willing to splurge—and to splurge quite a bit more than generations before them. We don’t see any sign of that slowing down. We are seeing some shifts in areas that prior generations considered big investments, such as home purchases. Gen Z is investing quite a bit in experiences rather than things. They’re also spending on microexperiences—they’re willing to pay for the cup of coffee that brings them joy at the beginning of the day, or they’re willing to invest in nutrition, which they view as important. Across the 18 countries we surveyed, 65 percent of Gen Zers on average—the lowest being about 50 percent in South Korea, all the way up to 85 percent in India, with all other countries landing somewhere in between—say they are willing to splurge in the categories that matter to them. In every single country, Gen Z was the highest-splurging generation. Another thing to keep in mind as we talk about these trends is nuance. It’s important to have granular insights on the motivators of Gen Z—particularly where they’re choosing to spend and how they’re choosing to spend. For example, nutrition and wellness matter to Gen Z, but unlike earlier generations, among whom topics like “organic” and “natural” tended to emerge the most, for Gen Z it’s “protein.” That specificity is important. It’s not to say that organic and natural don’t matter, but the trend does take a bit of a different shape with Gen Z compared to prior generations. Also, Gen Z uses AI more. They’re skeptical of AI, but they’re also aware of it and engage with it. We’re seeing some brands use AI tools to interface with consumers and reach Gen Z in a very effective way. How today’s consumers are spending their time and money 5