Every generation has a signature shopping behaviour. Boomers bought appliances. Millennials bought sneakers. Gen Z is buying wellness in every form they can afford, and not because it is fashionable, but because it helps them stay stable.
This Black Friday, South Africa’s 18-to-25-year-olds will direct more spend toward skincare, supplements, gym memberships, functional beverages, self-care tech, affordable fashion basics, gaming credits and daily wellness rituals than toward traditional status items like sneakers or high-end phones.
“At first, it looks like a quirky Gen Z shift. In reality, it is a sign of strain,” says youth culture expert Greg Potterton.
Potterton and his team at BOO! Campus Media, South Africa’s leading student media company, conducted extensive research, including interviews with more than 120 student influencers, to gain insights into the habits and preferences of today’s teens and 20-somethings, for the newly released Gen Z Futures Report.
Spending preferences
“When you look at their spending preferences, skincare is part of it, but the pattern runs across categories,” he says. “They are buying moisturiser, magnesium gummies, energy drinks, yoga mats, inexpensive earbuds, fashion basics, journaling kits and therapy apps. These are not purchases designed to flex. They are purchases designed to cope.”
As Nia, a 22-year-old student, puts it, “I spend more than I should on my monthly rituals, but it’s not about beauty, it’s about self-care.”
Anxious, financially stretched & digitally over-exposed
Gen Z is the most anxious, financially stretched and digitally exposed generation in modern South Africa. Their days are shaped by financial stress, a punishing job market and constant social comparison. In a world this unpredictable, small routines become anchors. A skincare routine. A run. A comfort hoodie. A gaming session. A functional drink before an exam.
“These micro habits restore a sense of control,” says Potterton.
The same logic shows up in their preferences, the Gen Z research reveals. They choose value tech over prestige devices because reliability is worth more than status. They choose basics over heavy branding because comfort matters.
They pick low and non-alcoholic beverages over late nights out because they are exhausted. They spend on gaming, streaming and podcasts because they need mental escape. “I buy things that make life feel manageable, not things to show off,” says Matthew, a 21-year-old student.
Ask why they need what they buy
“What connects all of it is simple. They are buying things that make them feel better, not look richer,” Potterton explains.
“Retailers will celebrate the rise in wellness-focused spending, but underneath it is a generation quietly communicating how overwhelmed they are. Skincare did not suddenly become cooler than sneakers. Feeling okay simply became more important than being impressive.”
And he concludes, “Black Friday will not reveal a generation obsessed with consumption. It will reveal a generation searching for stability,” says Potterton. “If we want to understand Gen Z this year, we should stop asking what they are buying and start asking why they need it.”
