I see it on the subway every day: Young people staring intently at their phones without looking up. I see it while crossing the street. I see it in the office and at other workplaces where they’re supposed to be doing… work. These kids are so engrossed in their mobile devices, they have absolutely no awareness of the world around them. And you know they’re multitasking on their phones, using Instagram, Snapchat, texting and… oh, taking selfies. How do they manage to get anything done? I can hardly find time to reply to a text when I’m working because guess what… I’m WORKING. Unfazed by their phone addiction, these kids need their mobile fix 24/7. Chances are the age group leading this pack is Millennials, the group that came of age when smartphones came of age. Of course this is only one of many behavior traits exhibited by Millennials but it drives me crazy. If you’re past Millennial age, you probably understand.
Perhaps I’m just getting old and grumpy; I recently entered the next decade of my life, and while I’m often mistaken as a Millennial, I’m sometimes in limbo, straddling the gap between two generations that while only a decade or two apart, can seem like worlds apart. I love my iPhone just as much as any next Millennial, and I do a lot on it (including the occasional selfie!), almost as much as that kid sitting on the train next to me, but sometimes I long for the simplicity of the old days, when people actually called each other to catch up and gasp, hear each other’s voices.
Yet as much as Millennials baffle me, they also intrigue me. They hold the key to the future of retailing, an environment that is fast-changing and fickle as battle lines have been drawn between traditional brick-and-mortar establishments and online/digital vehicles. This is especially critical in the eyewear realm, where this heated scenario has been playing out for the past few years. As Millennials (20/20’s GenEYE) become the next power purchasers of consumer goods and services, be ready for their attack. It’s no secret that GenEYE loves eyewear—they know their brands and not just mainstream designer brands. They want what’s hot, and they are keen on spotting what’s up and coming. Case in point: The media-sizzling eyewear design duo Coco and Breezy recently visited 20/20, showing us their latest sunglass collection. Established social media darlings, the twin sisters were immediately recognized by some of my office cohorts—not surprisingly those of the GenEYE variety. Coco and Breezy are setting their sights on the optical front (look for them soon in 20/20), and you can be sure GenEYErs will follow.
What does it all mean for you? We can’t repeat it enough: The opportunity is NOW to make Our Eyewear a vital weapon in your retail arsenal, and this May 20/20 can get you on the frontlines. Don’t get mad at Millennials, let’s get mad ABOUT them.
Christine Yeh
Executive Editor
[email protected]
