Gen Z Is Rewriting the Rules of Brand Discovery, SOCi’s 2025 CBI Finds

The buyer’s journey is no longer linear—especially for Gen Z. According to SOCi’s newly released 2025 Consumer Behavior Index (CBI), younger consumers are ditching traditional search funnels in favor of a chaotic, cross-platform journey that favors authenticity, peer content, and visual validation over brand loyalty or legacy trust.

“Legacy marketing models weren’t built for today’s buyer,” said Monica Ho, CMO of SOCi. “Gen Z doesn’t follow a path—they create one.”

A New Model of Local Discovery

Forget the traditional Google-first approach. For Gen Z, local discovery might start on TikTok, detour through Reddit, cross-reference on Yelp, and finalize with Google Maps—a tangled path that brands can’t afford to ignore.

Key Gen Z discovery trends from the CBI include:

• Platform Hopping: Buyers use multiple sources before making a decision—each one influencing brand perception.

• Peer-Powered Validation: Reviews, Reddit threads, and TikTok videos rank higher than brand-originated content.

• Visual Content Wins: Visuals (images and video) carry more weight than text when assessing trust and quality.

The Trust Shuffle: AI vs. UGC

The data suggests trust is fluid and increasingly decentralized. While traditional tools like search engines still hold credibility, AI-driven platforms are being tested cautiously, and user-generated content (UGC) is emerging as a major trust-builder.

“There’s no single source of truth anymore,” added Ho. “Consumers are assembling the full picture themselves—platform by platform.”

Brand Loyalty in Decline

Among the most striking findings: brand loyalty is eroding, especially among younger demographics:

• 32% of consumers aged 18–24 say they’re less loyal to brands than just a year ago.

• 35% of 25–34-year-olds report the same.

• For Gen Z, brand reputation ranks ninth in purchase decision-making—well below price, quality, convenience, and customer reviews.

In short: your legacy brand equity won’t save you if your presence and content aren’t credible across the platforms that matter.

What Brands Must Do

The 2025 CBI is a clear signal: if brands want to earn the trust—and business—of younger consumers, they need to show up everywhere with proof, not promises. That means:

• Investing in authentic, platform-native content

• Encouraging peer reviews and UGC

• Maintaining real-time relevance across multiple platforms

• Treating each platform as a front door, not a secondary touchpoint

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.