GENERATION Z
The first global generation?
MODERN MILESTONES
Rewriting the consumer life cycle
MODERN MILESTONES
Rewriting the consumer life cycle
MODERN MILESTONES
Rewriting the consumer life cycle
Don't confuse life stage and cohort effects
Conflating life stage effects (behaviours that happen because someone is a certain age or has reached a certain milestone, like being 30 or a new parent) and cohort effects (behaviours that are truly unique to a specific generation, like Millennials or Gen Z) takes us down the wrong track when trying to understand consumer behaviour. While generational labels are interesting, understanding behaviours through the lens of life stages can be more actionable for policymakers and marketers.
Reframing “Delayed” as “Modern Milestones”
The timelines for getting married and having kids has shifted later in life due to decades-long demographic and economic trends. And some choose not to get married or to have kids at all. "Delayed adulthood" still carries a ring of failure but this is increasingly the norm and we must adapt to the new modern milestones.
Introducing the 20-somethings
Because people are marrying and having children six to ten years later than in the past, a brand-new life stage has emerged: the '20-something' or 'proto-adult'. This extended period before traditional adulthood drastically changes how this demographic lives, spends, eats, and travels.
The mean age at first marriage for both men and women in OECD countries has risen by 6 years between 1990 and 2021.1
Average age of mother at first birth
*Nearest available years: UK: 2022; Canada, Netherlands and Spain: 2023; Denmark, Japan, United States: 2024
Sources: UK: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence. Accessed 31.03.2026; South Korea: Korean Statistical Information Service. 2024, Mean age of Mother by Birth Order for Provinces. Accessed 01.04.2026; All other countries: Human Fertility Database. Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Germany) and Vienna Institute of Demography (Austria). Available at www.humanfertility.org. Accessed 31.03.2026.
The squashing of the 'sandwich' people
With older adults living longer, and the growth of the 'proto-adults', middle-aged parents are increasingly being squeezed, sandwiched between caring for ageing parents on one side and dependent children on the other. While multigenerational households are traditional in many countries around the world, this is a newer phenomenon in countries like the UK or Canada.
What used to be called the 'boomerang effect’ - children moving back with their parents or not leaving home in the first place - is evident in Hong Kong. This is driven primarily by high property prices – it is a deliberate financial choice among young people.”
Javiar Calvar Service Line Group Leader, Ipsos in Hong Kong
The rise of the omnigenarians
Rising life expectancies in all regions of the world have created a new life stage between retirement and end of life. The term ‘omnigenarian’ encompasses the massive, growing group of septuagenarians, octogenarians, nonagenarians and centenarians who have very specific health, diet, and housing needs.
Life expectancy in Europe rose 17 years from 62 in 1950 to 79 in 2023.2
Some brands are already meeting the new demands created by these demographic changes
Co-living
Furnished rooms with community events and coworking spaces, offering bills included and flexible leases. Specifically aimed at young adults who want to leave the family home but can’t afford a traditional apartment alone.
Age-positive skincare
Age-segmented treatments targeting different needs by skin age and life stage, such as loss of volume and hydration in post-menopausal skin, rather than just a blanket promise to “erase wrinkles”.
Modular furniture
Sets of interchangeable furniture pieces that can be flexibly combined in various configurations to fit different spaces and needs. Designed for spaces that are multifunctional, more compact, or co-living.
Financial aid for older adults
Financial education products and programmes targeted at older adults who often hold significant wealth but may feel left behind by the rapid shift to digital-only banking and complex banking apps.
Doggy beer
A premium treat and a way of including pets in celebrations and special occasions..
Nutritional products for seniors
Developed for the specific dietary needs older adults develop as they age, targeting muscle and bone health, cognitive function, and reduced appetite..
Traditional aspirations haven’t disappeared
Despite shifting timelines, across 30 countries, 60% of people under 35 expect they’ll own their own home in their lifetime, and one in two say the same of getting married (52%) and becoming a parent (48%).3 But economic uncertainty forces them to wait until they are more established in their careers and finances before putting down roots.
From human babies to fur babies?
Pets are increasingly integral family members, with 51% of US pet owners considering their pets just as much a part of their family as human members.4 This ‘humanisation’ of pets is visible in the growth of services like pet grooming5 as well as a shift towards premium, human-grade pet food.6
of people under 35 expect they’ll own their own home in their lifetime.
“The pet market is booming. There is a strong humanization of pet dogs, which are called “perrijos", a mixture of the word perro (dog) and hijo (son). This reflects the importance of pets within the family as members."
Fernando Alvarez Kuri Senior Cluster Director, Ipsos in Mexico
Thought starters
What niches have changing milestones and life stages opened up that your brand could fill first?
What kinds of support can your brand provide for the sandwich people caring for two groups of people in their lives?
Is your brand overly focused on ‘Gen Z’ or ‘Millennials’ rather than understanding the life stages of your target audience?
Footnotes
1. OECD (2024). Society at a Glance 2024: OECD Social Indicators. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/society-at-a-glance-2024_918d8db3-en.html
2. Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. “Life expectancy – Riley; Zijdeman et al.; HMD; UN WPP – Long-run data” [dataset]. Human Mortality Database, “Human Mortality Database”; United Nations, “World Population Prospects”; United Nations, “World Population Prospects - Interim Update”; Zijdeman et al., “Life Expectancy at birth v2”; James C. Riley, “Estimates of Regional and Global Life Expectancy, 1800-2001” [original data]. Retrieved April 22, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260417-111409/grapher/life-expectancy.html (archived on April 17, 2026).
3. Ipsos Global Advisor. 22,693 adults under the age of 75 across 30 countries, interviewed between 20 February and 6 March, 2026.
4. Brown, A (2023). "About half of U.S. pet owners say their pets are as much a part of their family as a human member." Pew Research Center: Washington, DC, USA, 2023. Available online: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/07/about-half-us-of-pet-owners-say-their-pets-are-as-much-a-part-of-their-family-as-a-human-member/ (accessed on 22 April 2026).
5. Grand View Research (2024). Pet Grooming Services Market (2025 - 2030). https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/pet-grooming-services-market
6. InsightAce Analytic (2026). Human Grade Pet Food Market Size, Revenue, Trend Report 2026 to 2035. https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/report/human-grade-pet-food-market/2582
