Strategy & Planning
Why the funnel fails (and what replaces it)
In the old world, brands ran one campaign along one path to drive one conversion. Today, people enter your brand from anywhere - an influencer short, a long-form YouTube, a search snippet, a store visit - and cycle through multiple times, often without buying on the first (or fifth) touch. Planning for this reality means swapping a straight line for a system.
A simple model to plan against:
- Inspiration – spark desire with entertaining, save-worthy content.
- Exploration – remove research friction with details, comparisons, and social proof.
- Experience – make checkout, appointments, and service effortless.
- Community & Loyalty – keep people engaged with access, status, and stories.
You’re not forcing everyone into a stage; you’re keeping each part of the loop alive so people can flow forward whenever they’re ready.
Cohort nuances (the short version)
Gen Z is culture-first. They discover and research inside social/video. “Loyalty” looks like belonging - drops, creators, events - just as much as repeat purchase. If your brand world feels closed or generic, they’ll keep scrolling.
Millennials are proof-first. Video influences, search validates. Loyalty equals utility + value + service, boosted by thoughtful community perks. They’ll engage with your brand world when it helps them decide and feel confident.
Design one brand system with two clear paths through it.
Media
Channel playbook by loop state
1) Inspiration
For Gen Z, lead with YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Reels. Use creator-led stories, behind-the-scenes craft, and styling/use cases. Create for saves and shares first, clicks second - momentum lives in the algorithm.
For Millennials, pair YouTube (longer cuts) with premium display/programmatic and publisher features that frame your product around a job-to-be-done or occasion.
What to watch: meaningful view time (50–75%), saves, shares, brand lift, and assisted conversions.
2) Exploration
Gen Z does homework in-feed: short demos, creator reviews, and comments-as-FAQ. Package answers into Highlights and Playlists that tackle one question at a time.
Millennials rely on SEO that wins questions and comparisons. Support with buyer’s guides, configurators, and calculators that make decisions easier.
On-site musts: clear materials/specs, on-model scale, side-by-side comparisons, transparent pricing, and authentic reviews/UGC.
Signals to track: PDP dwell, spec/size-guide interactions, scroll depth, wishlist adds, and appointment clicks.
3) Experience (conversion & service)
Gen Z expects express pay, fast checkout, and helpful chat - plus BOPIS or appointments if relevant.
Millennials want full specs and warranty info up front, reliable ETAs, and responsive support.
Lightweight AI can guide choices (next-best action like “book/demo/sample”) and build dynamic bundles that explain “why this.”
Measure checkout starts/completions, payment mix, time-to-complete, appointments, and NPS.
4) Community & Loyalty
For Gen Z, community means access: memberships, creator collabs, drops, IRL moments, and private channels. Discounts are nice; belonging is better.
For Millennials, community feels like perks and care: points, service tiers, early access, repairs, and practical exclusives.
Watch repeat rate, time to second purchase, UGC volume, referrals, and RSVP/attendance to know if the loop is spinning.
Organic Performance
Content that wins both cohorts
Great content entertains to educate. Lead with story, then land the specs. Commit to series over one-offs so algorithms (and people) know what to expect. Turn real questions from comments and support logs into scripts and posts. Design for saves—carousels, checklists, and explainers people want to keep.
On search, write AI-ready SEO: Q&A pages, comparisons, and how-tos that map to conversational queries. The reward: visibility where people actually ask.
CRM, Email & Loyalty
Keep the loop spinning
For Gen Z, CRM is a backstage pass: community updates, early access, creator-led tutorials, and event invites. For Millennials, it’s a useful service: care guides, upgrades, value adds, replenishment cues, and service-led winbacks.
Success isn’t more sends - it’s activation. You’re looking for rising member engagement, a shorter time to the second purchase, and more referrals- without leaning on blanket discounts.
Marketing & Web Analytics
Measure a loop, not a line
Last-click isn’t “truth” in a looping world. Use conversion paths, view-through attention, and store/appointment signals to see what actually moves people forward. Instrument the middle - saves, shares, PDP interactions, size-guide opens, wishlists, consult bookings - so you can defend the value of mid-funnel work.
Make lift tests a habit: geo or audience holdouts for video/social, search incrementality, and creative-driven brand search lift. Unify online + offline by feeding POS, appointments, and CRM outcomes back into ads. Even a lightweight MMM will guide budget better than another attribution argument.
Quick checklist
- Do we publish series built for saves/shares?
- Can a newcomer grasp materials, scale, care, and price in 60 seconds?
- Are appointments, wishlists, and saves tracked - and valued?
- Do our CRM journeys differ for Gen Z vs. Millennials?
- Are we testing creative and running incrementality every month?
Industry spotlight: luxury jewelry
- Gen Z: Video-first craft stories, creator styling, simple provenance, member access and atelier moments over discounts.
- Millennials: Deep materials/specs, sizing & scale tools, certificates/repairs, comparison guides; clear book-an-appointment CTAs and concierge follow-up.
- Reality: Digital creates desire; stores/concierge often close. Track appointments, showroom visits, quotes, custom orders - not just e-com.
We’re here to help!
Emand builds the end-to-end system for this loop - Paid Media (Google, Meta, Programmatic), SEO, Web/UX, Measurement, and CRM - with a luxury-native lens.
Want a cohort-specific plan, AI-ready SEO outline, and loop KPIs for your brand? Get in touch and we’ll tailor it to you.
