Think about the last time you opened Instagram or TikTok. You probably scrolled past dozens of posts without a second thought — not because they were bad, but because nothing about them made you stop. That split-second decision to keep scrolling? Gen Z is making the exact same call in the grocery aisle.
And a lot of national brands are on the losing end of it.
In our Q1 report, Is Gen Z Still Choosing Your Brand?, we surveyed over 2,100 U.S. consumers across four generations to understand how shopping behavior is shifting — and one finding stood out above the rest. Gen Z is far less likely than older shoppers to notice a national brand first when scanning a shelf. Not because they have anything against it. Just because something else caught their eye first.
The brands that understand this are already adjusting. The ones that don't are quietly losing ground.
The Shelf Has a New Set of Rules
Here's the thing about the way Gen Z shops: they grew up swiping. They've spent years training their brains to make fast, intuitive calls about what's worth their attention and what isn't. That instinct doesn't turn off when they walk into a store.
When we showed Gen Z shoppers real product images and asked which one caught their eye first, national brands consistently came in behind where you'd expect. In some categories, the gap between how Gen Z and Boomers responded to the same shelf was staggering — up to 40 percentage points in vitamins alone.
That's not a blip. That's a fundamentally different way of seeing.
What's winning Gen Z's first glance? Brands that look intentional. Clean packaging. Clear ingredient callouts. A visual identity that feels like it was made for someone, not for everyone. The same things that would make you pause on a scroll are the things making Gen Z reach out on a shelf.
Their Attention Went Somewhere — Just Not to You
Here's the reassuring part: Gen Z's attention didn't disappear. It just went somewhere else.
The brands picking up what national brands are leaving on the table tend to be challengers — DTC companies, premium labels, and private-label options that have built their look around the values Gen Z actually cares about: sustainability, ingredient transparency, and a strong point of view. In our research, some of these challengers earned nearly 9x more Gen Z first glances relative to their Boomer numbers.
These aren't fringe brands anymore. They're becoming the default for a generation of shoppers who never had a strong attachment to legacy names in the first place.
They Still Buy National Brands…For Now
Here's where it gets nuanced. Despite all of this, Gen Z still ranked national brands #1 in purchase preference across every category we tested. So why should anyone be worried?
Because there's a difference between what people buy today and what they'll default to tomorrow.
When we followed Gen Z shoppers through the full purchase journey — from noticing a product, to picking it up, to actually wanting to buy it — national brands lost ground at every stage. And as challenger brands earn more first glances, they get more chances to impress, convert, and build loyalty. Once a Gen Z shopper tries an alternative and it meets their expectations, research shows nearly half of them don't go back.
The gap between "still winning" and "losing the next generation" is smaller than it looks. In vitamins, a national brand that had a commanding lead in overall consumer preference was nearly tied with a DTC challenger among Gen Z alone. One good campaign, one product launch, one viral moment — and that lead is gone.
What This Means for Your Brand
None of this means you need to blow up your brand and start over. But it does mean a few things are worth taking a hard look at.
Does your packaging still earn a second glance? If it was designed to stand out in a different era of retail, it might not be doing the same work today. Visual clarity, modern design, and something that signals "we know who we're talking to" go a long way with younger shoppers.
Are you showing up before the shelf? Gen Z builds brand familiarity through social platforms, creators, and peer recommendations — long before they're standing in an aisle. If they don't know your brand before they get to the store, you're asking them to choose a stranger.
Are you competing on the right things? In categories tied to health, identity, and personal values, Gen Z isn't primarily driven by price or brand name. They want to know what's in the product, whether the brand shares their values, and what other people like them think of it. If your messaging is leading with legacy, it might not be landing.
The Bigger Picture
The shelf is the new scroll. Gen Z moves fast, trusts their gut, and builds habits that are hard to break once they form. The brands that earn their attention now — not just their purchase — are the ones that will be hardest to displace later.
The good news is this shift is visible if you know where to look. And seeing it early is everything.
Find Out Where Your Brand Stands
At First Insight, we help CPG brands see exactly how Gen Z — and every other generation — is responding to their products, packaging, and positioning in the market. Our platform gives you a clear picture of where your brand is earning attention and where it's losing ground, so you can make smarter decisions before the gap gets harder to close.
Curious where you stand? Let's talk!
