Research shows that SoLoMo (social + local + mobile) is the key to connecting with Generation Y

The Next Web published an broad aggregation of research-based stats for Generation Y marketers. Following are the most relevant to highlights for multi-location brands seeking to connect with Generation Y (ages 13 – 24) and establish brand affinity and loyalty with the most powerful generation of consumers the country has every known.

  • 66% would look up a store after learning their friend had checked in
  • 71% report having liked a brand on Facebook just to receive an offer
  • 91% make their Facebook Places and Foursquare check-ins public. 
  • 52% have over 300 friends on Facebook. Top 10%, over 1,000.
  • 58% use Twitter “all the time” 
  • 62.7% of US undergraduates surveyed had an internet-capable handheld device.
  • 67% access Facebook from their smart phone
  • 75% upload photos via mobile
  • 12% use foursquare
  • 38% of students surveyed said they could not go more than 10 minutes without checking their digital device—about the time it takes to walk to class.
  • 62% of youth brand and technology decisions are influenced by friends and family
  • 23% access social network sites on their phones
  • 11% purchase things via their phones

If you’re a major retail, restaurant, hospitality, or banking brand, the best way to connect with this generation is on mobile in a social context in one of your actual locations…which to say when they are present and engaged and the point of sale.

For more information, download The SoLoMo Manifesto.

Photo Credit: Mobile Youth