Fashion Forward: Tailoring Digital Textile Printing to Fit Gen Z Customers

Even the most advanced and complicated technology has to serve the simple (if not at all easy) purpose of making people happy. As the years go by, it’s interesting to learn how the taste and preferences of each generation shape the ways of the printing business and the technology it relies on. Here are a few characteristics that symbolize the essence of customers born between the mid-1990s and the late 2000s, also known as gen Z, from a textile printer point of view.

Demand to garment
A lot has been said about Gen Z’s need for instant gratification, but how does it affect our industry? The on-demand economy plays a major role in their way of life. This generation binge-watches an entire season on Netflix over the weekend and then fetches the nearest car on Uber. Waiting for any product or service is almost unheard of for gen Z customers. This generation also shifts and moves much faster, creating shorter fashion seasons and new trends every minute.  

In order to answer those needs, suppliers must step up their game and move A LOT FASTER. Cutting every process short without cutting any corners is the new goal for printing businesses, who still have to provide a perfect finished product, only in half the time. At Kornit, we enable customers to successfully reach this goal with single-step printing solutions and products that offer a shorter curing process and print-to-cut options. Our systems operate at increased speed and do so with top accuracy. With our help, gen Z customers can binge-shop the latest trends as soon as they emerge.

Personal printing
Gen Z members believe that blending is bland. They want everything about them to represent their unique character, very much including their outfit. Sharing their daily look with online followers means that they cannot repeat themselves too much and must stay trendy and true to their online persona. Gen Z’s entrepreneurial nature is also reflected in customers’ behavior, as they seek to influence the choices made by the world’s biggest brands. As digital natives, they send a clear message to their favorite shops via social media, letting them know what they want to buy next.

This calls for smaller collections that come and go according to the audience’s mood swings. In some cases, retailers have gone the extra mile by enabling customers to design their own clothes and change the color, fabric, text, and shape of garments. Once again, everyone involved is expected to move much faster and become more agile and open-minded.

The fabric of society
Gen Z consumers are socially responsible and are exposed to plenty of information regarding the backstage of the retail business. It is no wonder that in recent years, sustainability standards have gone from voluntary to mandatory thanks to advanced regulation.

In order to create a more sustainable and responsible printing experience, Kornit goes well beyond regulation standards. We do so with printers that save ink and electricity, a more durable ink that helps garments last longer, a new fixation agent that creates a friendlier work environment, and the ability to supply garments on-demand without being left with unused stocks that go to waste. These and other efforts guarantee that our products bring joy to gen Z, and many more generations to come.  

Keeping up with the needs, technology, and interests of new generations helps the printing industry remain fresh, exciting and relevant. In 2019, we will surely see more textile companies adjust their products and collections to meet gen Z demands, and the textile printing industry will follow suit, searching for the right technology to support their efforts.

Contact us to learn how Kornit can transform your printing systems to fit the needs of every target audience.