Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström® – Episode #725

Title: Consumer confidence...and caution...with Eric Miao, Attentive
Date: August 29, 2025
Host: Greg Kihlström
Guest: Eric Miao, Chief Strategy Officer, Attentive

Overview

This episode examines the evolving dynamics of consumer confidence and caution, focusing especially on Gen Z and Millennials. Host Greg Kihlström welcomes Eric Miao of Attentive, who shares insights from recent consumer research, discusses how technology is driving new opportunities for personalization, and outlines practical steps for brands aiming to engage effectively across digital channels. The episode explores personalization, data-driven marketing, generational differences, and the future of consumer engagement as influenced by AI and mobile messaging.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Shifting Consumer Mindset

Timestamps: 02:32 – 04:37

• Consumer Confidence Rebound:
  Post-pandemic and economic uncertainty have kept consumers cautious, but patience is running out:

  • “You can only be cautious for so long... you’re starting to see the consumer... saying, okay, I’m going to buy the things I’ve been waiting for.” — Eric Miao (03:49)
  • Confidence is up particularly among Gen Z and Millennials, though spending habits differ by segment.

• Lingering Caution:

  • Some consumers maintain a "wait and see" approach, careful with budgets despite life resuming.

Personalization and Technology in Brand Strategy

Timestamps: 05:05 – 06:54

• Leveraging Technology:

  • New tools allow brands to personalize at the first interaction, tailoring offers and messaging to individuals based on observed behavior and self-reported preferences.

  • “A lot of the discounting that brands have done traditionally is because they haven’t really known what someone might be interested in... Now... you can start to ask people kind of what they’re interested in...” — Eric Miao (05:12)

• Reduced Reliance on Blanket Discounts:

  • Personalization reduces brands’ dependence on broad-based promotions as they can be more precise in their targeting.

Gen Z vs. Millennial Behavior Divergence

Timestamps: 06:54 – 08:31

• Gen Z:

  • Prone to frequent, smaller purchases at lower price points.
  • Less brand-loyal, seeking immediate value and deals.
  • Prefers engaging digital experiences and is responsive to interactive content.

• Millennials:

  • Will wait for preferred products and are more likely to plan around big sales events.

  • Greater brand loyalty but with a more delayed purchase cycle.

  • “A Millennial customer... will wait and so they have a little bit more loyalty... looking at the calendar and they’re like, okay, Prime Day is coming up, I’ll just wait the extra couple of days...” — Eric Miao (07:54)

Communication Preferences of Digital Natives

Timestamps: 08:31 – 10:10

• Mobile Messaging and Digital Interactivity:

  • Younger segments are accustomed to giving feedback digitally; they respond well to engaging, quick interactions such as quizzes and interactive site content.

  • Messaging can be leveraged not just for direct response, but also to inform and optimize omnichannel strategies.

  • “They may not be willing to have a full... conversation that takes five minutes... but they’re definitely interested in being asked something, giving some kind of feedback.” — Eric Miao (09:06)

The Impact of Shopping Events (e.g., Prime Day) and Macro Trends

Timestamps: 12:33 – 14:30

• Event Spending Analysis:

  • Large shopping events illustrate consumer caution — lower engagement on big-ticket items; more careful spending even during peak events.

  • Amazon’s own hesitance to release full numbers suggests brands—even digital giants—are facing consumer hesitancy.

  • “Even Amazon, who has the best hold on their customer, is finding that they need to have more time to get it right... It must be hard for everybody.” — Eric Miao (13:44)

Harnessing Data & AI for Hyper-Personalization

Timestamps: 14:30 – 17:35

• AI-Driven Personalization:

  • Past approaches relied on large segments and A/B testing; AI enables journey personalization at the individual level in real-time.

  • Brands can nurture and engage differently based on a customer’s specific relationship and history with the brand.

  • “Now you can say, okay, actually, Greg is... very new to me. I should be trying to nurture him. Eric looks really great. Maybe I should lay off of him... and start to predict how to actually nurture someone.” — Eric Miao (15:44)

  • Adoption of these tools is rapid because they fulfill a long-desired marketing ambition.

Emerging Trends: Conversational AI & Next-Gen Messaging

Timestamps: 17:49 – 19:47

• Normalization of Conversational Interfaces:

  • The explosive use of ChatGPT is normalizing conversational interfaces, spreading new expectations to brand-consumer interaction.

  • “That kind of conversational interface is quickly normalizing... there’s a new standard... called RCS... as a messaging standard it’s much richer.” — Eric Miao (18:43)

• RCS Messaging Standard:

  • RCS offers multimedia capabilities, prompting richer and more interactive engagement.

Practical Advice for Brands

Timestamps: 20:15 – 22:14

• Choose Tech Partners with a Shared Long-Term Vision:

  • Brands should seek partners who anticipate evolving consumer engagement patterns.

  • Long-term focus on direct, individualized engagement outperforms all-in-one approaches that may not pivot quickly.

  • “You have to find the right partner... as long as you follow the consumer towards what they’re interested in, you’re going to do really well.” — Eric Miao (21:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “People only put their lives on hold for so long... you’re starting to see... consumers lose the patience to wait because they’ve been putting this stuff on hold for quite a long time now.” — Eric Miao (03:49)
• “These folks [Gen Z] are probably paying much less attention [to email]. So for you to use messaging to make the other channels work harder is... a potential with these younger groups.” — Eric Miao (09:49)
• “There’s no such thing as like a user journey and it’s the same for everybody.” — Eric Miao (14:43)
• “Brands are very quickly... trying to get away from making one big sort of decision and applying it to a million people and trying to get to a million different decisions.” — Eric Miao (16:35)
• “Our belief... is you should pick long term partners whose long term vision you’re aligned with.” — Eric Miao (20:17)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:32 – Driving factors behind increasing consumer confidence
• 05:05 – How brands can respond to continued consumer caution
• 06:54 – Generational differences and purchasing behaviors
• 08:31 – Communication channel preferences for Gen Z and Millennials
• 12:33 – Implications of Prime Day and current spending trends
• 14:43 – Recommendations for leveraging data and AI
• 17:49 – Conversational AI trends and RCS messaging
• 20:15 – Advice for long-term brand strategy
• 22:27 – How Eric Miao stays agile

How to Stay Agile (Personal Practice)

Timestamps: 22:27 – 23:09

• Continuous Learning:

  • Eric reads a book a week, often revisiting older technology literature for perspective.

  • “I try to read around a book a week... People tended to be actually more right about the future like 15 or 20 years ago than people today living it...” — Eric Miao (22:33)

Conclusion

Eric Miao and Greg Kihlström provide actionable insights into how consumer confidence and caution are playing out in real time, with clear implications for engagement, personalization, and channel strategy. Brands must adopt flexible, data-driven, and personalized approaches, especially given rapid digital and behavioral changes among younger generations. Direct engagement via mobile and conversational interfaces is increasingly central, and partnerships grounded in shared vision are emphasized for long-term brand agility.