A powerful social engagement strategy to boost interaction with youthful audiences at retail is to integrate elements of gamification into merchandising, content, social media and event-driven brand experiences. Here’s what Tilly’s is doing right on their ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS promotion: They’ve aligned with a vendor brand, JanSport and two pop culture influencers, @shonduras and Echosmith’s @sydneysierota, who are actually into both brands (and it shows). Created a simple AR game for customers to interact in two distinct areas in-store (female and male sections) Layered in a traditional (yet effective) sweeps contest with a 20% discount for participation Driving engagement and retail traffic w/ a steady stream of relevant Instagram stories Increasing app downloads and growing their customer database. Best part? It doesn’t feel forced, it’s fun, it creates a sense of belonging and everyone wins!

Establishing trust is absolutely critical when building consumer relationships. The process, while it might not always be easy, doesn’t need to be complicated. Trust in youth culture comes down to a simple equation: Transparency + Authenticity + Action = Credibility. By avoiding pretense or deceit and being true to core beliefs, young people will be more likely to trust in your promise, reliability, and the strength of your company. Trust: prove it. Create content that helps give young people reasons to believe that your brand will deliver what it claims. That it’s reliable, has ethical business practices and that an association will be beneficial to Gen Z by exposing ‘how it’s made’, ‘demonstrations of…’ – it’s about showing, not telling. Why should consumers within the youth culture trust your brand? How do you reinforce your relationship with people who engage in your brand? Are you transparent about your business practices? Does Gen Z view you as an ally or an authority? Do you even know?