THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN MAKING PURCHASING DECISIONS OF MEMBERS OF GENERATION Z

Današnje je vrijeme obilježeno urbanom globalizacijom i nepredvidljivošću koji donosi brzi rast tehnologije, interneta te samim time i društvenih mreža. Ovo je vrijeme konstantnih dinamičnih promjena, kako u samom okruženju, tako i u trendovima. Jedna od posljedica svake veće promjene na globalnoj razini je i pojava novih generacija, a upravo je generacija Z prva čiji su pripadnici rođeni i odrastali u digitalnom svijetu. Razvoj tehnologije i interneta njegovim je korisnicima omogućio jednostavnu i brzu dostupnost ogromnih količina informacija, zbog čega su potrošači današnjice sve informiraniji, što uvelike utječe i na trendove u marketinškoj komunikaciji. Kako bi postala i ostala konkurentna na tržištu, poduzeća se moraju prilagođavati zahtjevima svojih potrošača, a njih danas u prevladavajućem broju čine upravo pripadnici generacije Z koji razmišljaju i obrađuju informacije drugačije od svojih prethodnika. Oni internet i društvene medije ne koriste isključivo u svrhu zabave, već i kao kanal za povezivanje s prijateljima i poznanicima, za povezivanje s grupama i zajednicama svojih istomišljenika ili ljudi koji dijele slične interese te kao izvor informacija i kanal za razmjenu istih. Razlike u generacijama su značajne, kao što su i, globalno gledajući, razlike u okolnostima njihova odrastanja. Svaku je generaciju važno pomno proučavati te im se konstantno prilagođavati. U ovom radu iznesene su teorijske spoznaje o pripadnicima generacije Z i njihovim karakteristikama te društvenim medijima koji imaju veliku ulogu u životima pripadnika ove generacije. Također se razmatra kupovno ponašanje njezinih pripadnika. Na posljetku je provedeno empirijsko istraživanje među 2.090 pripadnika generacije Z, a koje je potvrdilo veličinu uloge društvenih medija u donošenju njihovih odluka u kupovini. Također su doneseni zaključci o važnosti korištenja društvenih medija za poduzeća, pri komunikaciji prema pripadnicima generacije Z te je dan uvid u njihovo ponašanje na istima, a koje može biti koristan svim poduzećima koja svoje proizvode i usluge žele pozicionirati upravo prema toj generaciji.The time we live in is marked by urban globalization and the uncertainty created by a rapid growth of technology, internet, and with that – social media as well. This is a time of constant and dynamic changes in the environment, just as much as in the trends. One of the consequences of every major change on a global level is the emergence of new generations. Generation Z is the first generation whose members were born and raised in a digital world. The development of technology and internet has enabled its users to access huge amount of information quickly and with ease, which makes today's consumers highly informed, which greatly impacts the marketing and communication trends. In order to become and remain competitive on the market, companies have to adapt to the requirements of their consumers, a significant portion of whom belong to the generation Z, whose way of thinking and processing information is very different from those of generations preceding them. Generation Z doesn't use the internet and social media solely for entertainment, but rather use it as a channel to connect with their friends and acquaintances, to connect with groups and communities of like-minded people who share their interests, and they use it as a source of getting information and sharing it. The differences between each and every generation are significant, as are the – globally speaking – differences in the circumstances in which their members grew up. It's very important to study each generation carefully and constantly adapt to the changes. This paper presents key theoretical insights about the members of generation Z and their characteristics, as well as theoreticals insights about the social media, which plays a great role in the lives of this generation. It also discusses the purchasing behavior of the aforementioned generation. Finally, an empirical study was conducted among 2.090 members of generation Z, which confirmed the magnitude of the social media's role in making their purchasing decisions. Conclusions were also made, touching on the importance of the companies usage of social media to connect and communicate with generation Z, and the insight to their behavior on social media was given in the end, which could be useful to all of those trying to position their products and services towards the members of this generation