Gen ZSyndicated Report March 2025

2026 State of Gen Z Consumption Report: What Young Consumers Actually Use, Finish, and Discard

How Gen Z consumers ages 18–28 dispose of, recycle, and engage with CPG products after use — behavioral data across 26,000 real scans in 2025.

About This Report

Gen Z is often described as values-driven, trend-sensitive, and brand-fluid. But in 2026, their actual consumption behavior tells a more nuanced story. ECGO’s 2026 State of Gen Z Consumption Report analyzes real-world post-consumption data collected through the ECGO app between 2024 and 2025. Instead of relying only on surveys or purchase intent, this report examines products after they have been purchased, consumed, and discarded — giving brands a behavioral lens into what Gen Z repeatedly chooses in daily life. The report covers food, beverage, and personal care categories, with analysis of category share, brand loyalty, switching behavior, private label trade-offs, flavor and functional claims, and the economic pressures shaping Gen Z decision-making. For consumer insights, innovation, sustainability, shopper marketing, and brand strategy teams, this report helps answer a critical question: What does Gen Z actually consume when price, routine, trust, and real-life behavior collide?

What Is Included

- Analysis of 25,000+ real-world product submissions from 760 Gen Z users. - Economic and behavioral context shaping Gen Z purchase decisions - Gen Z recycling basket analysis across beverage, food, and personal care - Beverage category deep dive, including sub-category share, brand concentration, private label behavior, flavor signals, claims, loyalty, and switching - Food category deep dive, including fragmentation, snacks, private label dynamics, family brand share, flavor and claim trends, and challenger brand opportunity - Personal care category deep dive, including trust dynamics, longer replacement cycles, category concentration, and loyalty behavior - Flavor and functional claim analysis across observed product submissions - Loyalty and switching behavior by category - Strategic takeaways for food, beverage, and personal care brands - Brand implications for consumer insights, innovation, sustainability, packaging, and shopper marketing teams

Who This Is For

Consumer insights managers at food, beverage, and personal care brands who need behavioral evidence to support sustainability claims, packaging R&D decisions, or Gen Z marketing strategy.