Shopping Habits That Defined Black Friday: Gen Z vs. Millennials vs. Boomers

Black Friday 2024 wasn't just about massive sales figures—it was a fascinating window into how different generations approach shopping in the digital age. With record-breaking $10.8 billion in U.S. online sales and mobile commerce accounting for over 55% of transactions, this shopping event served as a generational mirror, reflecting not just what people buy, but how and why they shop.

Understanding these differences isn't just about demographics—it's about creating tailored experiences that resonate with each generation's unique shopping psychology. The data reveals distinct behavioral patterns that savvy brands can leverage year-round to build lasting customer relationships.

Gen Z: The Impulse-Driven Digital Native

The TikTok-to-Cart Generation

Generation Z shoppers didn't just participate in Black Friday—they redefined it. Their shopping journey began weeks before the event, not on retailer websites, but on social media platforms where product discovery happens organically through influencer content and peer recommendations.

Key Behavioral Patterns & Statistics:

• Discovery-first mindset: 49% of Gen Z discover new products through social media compared to 33% of the overall population, with 60% using social channels for product discovery
• Mobile dominance: 80% of all Gen Z shopping occurs online, with 96% having at least one shopping app installed
• Payment revolution: BNPL adoption surged in 2024, with U.S. shoppers spending $18.2 billion via BNPL during the holiday season—a 9.6% YoY increase. Gen Z led much of this growth, though credit and debit cards remain dominant payment methods.

What Drives Them: Fear of missing out (FOMO) combined with a desire for instant gratification creates shopping behavior that's both spontaneous and socially influenced. They demonstrate 43% direct in-app purchasing rates and 37% purchasing based on influencer recommendations in the past three months alone.

The Carriyo Connection: Gen Z's need for immediate gratification extends beyond purchase to fulfillment. They expect real-time updates delivered through their preferred channels—WhatsApp notifications, SMS alerts (with 79% opting into business texts), and mobile-first tracking experiences. Carriyo's automated customer communications and branded tracking pages feed directly into their expectation for instant, visual updates about their orders. With 90% expecting companies to maintain active social media presence, integrated communication becomes crucial.

Millennials: The Value-Seeking Omnichannel Optimizer

The Research-Heavy Strategists

Millennials approached Black Friday like a strategic operation, emerging as among the highest-spending generations with holiday budgets averaging above $2,000, and maintaining 81% Black Friday participation rates—the highest of any age group.

Key Behavioral Patterns & Statistics:

• Research-intensive approach: 48% discover products on social media while maintaining the most thorough comparison shopping habits across platforms
• Omnichannel mastery: 74% report mobile impulse purchases versus 49% in-store, demonstrating the highest mobile conversion rates among all age groups
• Value-quality balance: 65% maintain credit card ownership while showing 37-47% BNPL adoption for strategic purchases
  
  

What Drives Them: Practicality and optimization rule their decisions. Having lived through multiple economic downturns, they've mastered the art of stretching dollars while maintaining quality standards. They show 83% preference for texting businesses over calling customer service, indicating their efficiency-focused approach extends to customer interactions.

The Carriyo Connection: Millennials appreciate consistency and reliability in their post-purchase experience. They respond well to personalized tracking pages that reflect brand quality, streamlined returns processes that save time, and loyalty-driven features that recognize their repeat business. With their research-heavy approach, they value detailed shipping information and proactive communication about potential delays. Carriyo's branded customer experience tools and automated returns portal align perfectly with their desire for seamless, professional service that respects their time investment in brand relationships.

Boomers: The Trust-Oriented Pragmatists

The Security-First Shoppers

Baby Boomers brought a different energy to Black Friday 2024, with 55% now shopping online regularly but maintaining their preference for reliability and established processes over innovation and speed.

Key Behavioral Patterns & Statistics:

• Desktop-centric experience: Maintain strong preference for full websites over mobile apps, representing the primary group driving 69.5% of consumers preferring email communication
• Payment method conservatism: 12-15% BNPL adoption rates, with strong preference for traditional credit cards and 55% preferring phone support for customer service
• Quality over innovation: Only 16% discover products through social media with minimal in-app purchasing at 8%, focusing instead on established brand relationships

What Drives Them: Security, trust, and predictability dominate their purchase decisions. They demonstrate 24% "bracketing" behavior (ordering multiple items intending to return some) compared to 51% for Gen Z, indicating more deliberate purchasing decisions.

The Carriyo Connection: Boomers respond exceptionally well to accurate ETAs, proactive shipping updates, and simplified returns processes. They appreciate clear, professional email communication that builds confidence rather than excitement. With their preference for reliability over speed, they value Carriyo's service level monitoring and customer feedback systems that ensure the transparency and dependability this generation values most. Simple, straightforward tracking interfaces and human-accessible customer support options align with their comfort zones while building long-term loyalty.

Cross-Generational Insights: Where Everyone Agrees

Despite their differences, all generations shared common ground on several critical aspects of the shopping experience, revealing universal pain points and opportunities.

Universal Expectations & Statistics:

• Speed and efficiency: E-commerce return rates reached 20.4% in 2024 (up from 17.6% in 2023), with holiday returns spiking above annual averages
• Transparency demand: Americans now receive 64-70 packages per person annually, creating expectations for reliable tracking and communication
• Reliable customer service: Cart abandonment rates of 85-90% on mobile versus 69-70% on desktop highlight the universal need for friction-free experiences
  

Communication Preferences Vary by Generation:

• Gen Z: WhatsApp notifications and SMS alerts (79% opt-in rate)
• Millennials: Email updates plus app notifications with text messaging preference (83%)
• Boomers: Email communication (69.5% preference) with desktop tracking access

The Returns Reality: 62% of consumers prefer returning items to physical stores despite online purchase origins, representing a universal frustration point. However, brands offering streamlined, branded returns experiences saw improved loyalty regardless of customer age, with apparel returns hitting 24.4% of online purchases in 2024.

Strategic Implications for Retailers in 2025

The behavioral insights from Black Friday 2024 point to several strategic opportunities for forward-thinking retailers looking to capture value across generational segments.

1. Segmented Communication Strategies
Rather than one-size-fits-all notifications, successful brands will tailor post-purchase communications to generational preferences. This means WhatsApp updates for Gen Z (79% opt-in rate), comprehensive email summaries for Millennials (who prefer efficiency), and clear, simple email notifications for Boomers (69.5% preference). SMS achieves 98% open rates and 45% response rates compared to 6-8% email response rates, making it highly effective for younger consumers.

2. Payment Diversity as Competitive Advantage
The BNPL market's growth to an expected $450 billion by 2026—driven largely by Gen Z and Millennials—requires retailers to offer multiple payment options while managing associated service complexities. Digital wallets are expected to account for 54% of online transactions by 2026, making payment flexibility a competitive necessity.

3. Delivery as a Loyalty Driver
With mobile apps demonstrating 3x higher conversion rates than mobile websites and app users spending 201.8 minutes monthly shopping compared to just 10.9 minutes for mobile web users, accurate tracking and proactive communication became table stakes across all age groups.

How Carriyo Enables Generational Success:

• Multi-channel communication tools that automatically adjust messaging style, frequency, and channel based on customer age demographics and preferences
• Branded tracking experiences that maintain brand consistency while providing the transparency all generations demand, with mobile-first designs for younger users and desktop-accessible formats for older customers
• Automated returns processing that removes friction regardless of how customers prefer to initiate returns, addressing the universal pain point of complicated return processes
• Real-time carrier performance monitoring that helps brands maintain the reliability standards Boomers expect, the efficiency Millennials demand, and the speed Gen Z requires
• Flexible notification systems supporting SMS for Gen Z (98% open rates), email for Boomers (69.5% preference), and omnichannel approaches for Millennials
  
  

The Future of Generational Commerce

Black Friday 2024 revealed that successful retail isn't about choosing between generations—it's about understanding that each brings valuable behaviors and expectations to the shopping ecosystem. Gen Z drives innovation and social commerce (contributing to the $82.82 billion U.S. social commerce market growing 18.2% annually), Millennials optimize for value and experience while driving the highest spending levels (averaging above $2,000), and Boomers ensure standards for trust and reliability remain high while representing a growing online market (55% adoption rate).

The retailers who thrived weren't necessarily those with the biggest discounts, but those who recognized that the post-purchase experience is where generational preferences become most apparent. From the moment a customer clicks "buy" to the moment they're satisfied with their purchase, each generation follows distinct patterns that smart brands can anticipate and serve.

Key Takeaways for 2025:

• Gen Z expects: Instant, mobile-first, socially-influenced experiences with BNPL payment options and SMS/WhatsApp communication
• Millennials demand: Efficient, research-supported, value-driven experiences with omnichannel communication and loyalty recognition
• Boomers value: Reliable, secure, straightforward experiences with email communication and human-accessible support

As we look toward 2025, the lesson is clear: generational shopping behaviors aren't just interesting data points—they're strategic imperatives. The brands that invest in understanding and serving these different approaches to commerce, especially in the critical post-purchase phase, will build the kind of cross-generational loyalty that turns seasonal shoppers into year-round advocates.

With platforms like Carriyo enabling retailers to customize everything from delivery notifications to returns experiences, the technology exists to meet each generation exactly where they are. The question isn't whether generational differences matter in commerce—it's whether brands are ready to embrace them as competitive advantages.

Want to learn how Carriyo can help your brand create generationally-aware post-purchase experiences? Discover how leading retailers are using our platform to build loyalty across every age group while managing the complexity of serving distinct generational preferences at scale.