Gen Z is reshaping how the digital economy works. For this generation, earning and spending go hand in hand, prioritizing flexible income streams and intentional spending.
In fact, according to Credit Karma, 45% of Gen Z identify as “digital side hustlers,” earning income online beyond their primary job. For them, earning money online isn’t a novelty anymore; it’s part of how they live, shop, and engage.
This shift matters because it’s changing the path to purchase. From discovery to checkout, Gen Z is drawn to platforms that offer value upfront, whether that’s through rewards, transparency, or a sense of control over how they spend and engage.
Key Takeaways
- Earning is part of the purchase journey: Gen Z tends to blend rewards with spending, using platforms like KashKick to discover and fund purchases with intention.
- Trust, value, and impact matter: Gen Z looks for clear rewards, frictionless experiences, and brand interactions that reflect their values, including social good.
- Reward platforms are the new discovery layer: Branded tasks introduce products in low-pressure, high-engagement environments that build affinity early.
- Besitos plugs brands into the Gen Z flow: With embedded rewards and first-party insights, brands can drive loyalty and performance without starting from scratch.
Understanding Gen Z’s Online Purchasing Behavior
Gen Z approaches shopping with more research, caution and control than any generation before them. Their online purchasing behavior isn’t impulsive; it’s informed and highly intentional. 75% of Gen Z read reviews, 74% visit brand websites, and 72% check comments before buying. They compare options and favor platforms and brands that offer both a great product and a reason to come back.
Rewards play a major role in their decision-making. A staggering 86% of Gen Z say cashback and loyalty rewards are an important part of making a purchase, and 70% expect to earn rewards while using apps and playing games. These incentives aren’t just nice-to-haves; they’re shaping which platforms Gen Z returns to.
Social media is a discovery engine, but not every view converts. More than half (55%) of U.S. Gen Z consumers reported buying via social media in the past six months, and 73% say they’ve made online purchases directly from creators. Trust, peer validation, and contextual rewards often determine what ends up in the cart.
And it’s all mobile-first. 96% of Gen Z consumers shop via smartphone at least once a month, favoring brands and experiences that align with their values, pace, and expectations for control.
Why Earning Online Fits Gen Z’s Lifestyle
Gen Z grew up during economic uncertainty, rising living costs and a creator-driven internet, so being naturally drawn to low-barrier ways to earn on their own time makes a lot of sense. Whether it’s through surveys, cash-back apps, game milestones or referral bonuses, these digital-native earners are turning side hustles into everyday habits.
The appeal goes beyond just convenience, though. Earning cash online fits into Gen Z’s broader approach to work and consumption: flexible, fast and on their own terms. This flow between earning and spending is emerging in Gen Z retail behavior, especially as more users expect rewards in the apps they use.
What Gen Z Expects from Platforms
Gen Z brings high expectations to every digital experience. Because they’ve grown up with abundant choices and near-instant technology, any request for their time or attention must deliver value immediately. They gravitate toward clean, intuitive interfaces and reward features that feel fair, transparent, and frictionless. Hidden fees, unclear terms, or vague promises? Those are deal‑breakers.
In fact, many experts note that Gen Z now expects online experiences to be “instant, seamless, and smart”, meaning that speed, clarity, and mobile-first design aren’t perks; they’re baseline expectations.
Gamified elements like progress bars, streaks, or unlockable rewards resonate with Gen Z, and studies in mobile commerce confirm it, showing that reward systems and progress tracking significantly increase engagement. These features make earning feel active and engaging, rather than passive.
Social impact is another emerging signal of value. Gen Z is quick to support platforms that contribute to causes or make giving back easy — two-thirds of Gen Z report that positive associations with social causes increase their affinity for a brand, and 58% say those cause‑brand associations could influence their purchasing decisions. Features that embed donation or community support into the user experience often boost retention, not just because they feel good, but because they make users feel like their actions have a greater impact than just their own benefit.
Why This Matters for Brands and Retailers
Gen Z’s approach to earning online is reshaping the purchase journey.
Reward-based platforms aren’t separate from retail anymore, and instead, they’re influencing what users discover, consider and even eventually buy. This behavior opens up new opportunities for brands to connect with younger audiences in a more intentional and value-driven way. Take Nike’s loyalty and gamification initiatives, for instance; they embed challenges and rewards directly into existing apps that users already engage with, influencing both engagement and purchase behavior over time. (See Nike’s case in Gamification Case Studies.)
“What’s clear is that they expect their engagement with and loyalty to retailers, merchants, platforms, and providers to be meaningfully rewarded, not just acknowledged.
This paradigm shift is both being powered by and is set to radically alter the payments and fintech landscape, and is why we’ve labeled Gen Z ‘The Reward(ed) Generation’.”
— Ben Cousens, Chief Strategy Officer at ZBD
And it’s not just a niche trend. According to Growth Market Reports, the global cashback market alone was valued at $154.2 billion in 2024, demonstrating how deeply embedded rewards are in consumer behavior today.
For brands, this means the stakes are clear: embedding reward experiences isn’t a gimmick, it’s a strategic channel to meet Gen Z where they already live, earn, and spend.
Earning Is Part of the Funnel Now
Gen Z often discovers and evaluates new products within the same digital environments where they earn, including social platforms and reward-based apps. With 64% of Gen Z using social media for product discovery, it’s no surprise that branded opportunities on platforms like KashKick also catch their attention.
For example, a user might scroll through a rewards feed, find a task tied to a real brand ( like trying an app or subscribing to a service) and engage not just to earn, but to explore. These early interactions serve a dual purpose: they offer value upfront while introducing users to products in a low-pressure, high-intent context. That familiarity helps shape purchase intent before users ever reach a product page.
How Rewarded Actions Influence What Gen Z Buys
On platforms that offer rewards, users often engage with real brands throughout tasks, like trying out an app, subscribing to a service or completing a level in a mobile game. These actions introduce Gen Z to new products in a context that feels low-pressure and worthwhile.
KashKick is an example of how this plays out. Users complete tasks tied to brand offers and earn real cash in return. That earned value often gets funneled back into purchases, whether it offsets a cost they were already considering or nudges them toward a new product they just discovered. The connection between earning and spending is seamless, and it’s helping shape how Gen Z makes buying decisions.
Where Brands Fit In
Brands have a chance to show up where Gen Z is already engaged — inside platforms that reward their attention and actions. Instead of relying solely on ads, they can participate in experiences that feel native to how this generation earns, explores and spends. It’s a way to meet Gen Z earlier in the buyer’s journey, with more context and more intent behind every interaction.
How Brands Can Tap Into This Behavior
Gen Z is already earning online and often reinvesting those rewards into future spending. In fact, customers shopping through cashback portals spend ~18% more on average than they otherwise might.
The opportunity for brands and platforms isn’t to reinvent the wheel, but to plug into the behaviors that are already driving engagement. That’s where embedded solutions like Besitos come in.
Here’s how brands can take action:
- Embed rewards where users already are. Through Besitos, brands can integrate directly into existing reward platforms like KashKick with no need to build from scratch or manage advertiser relationships.
- Offer real value, not empty clicks. Branded tasks like app trials, subscriptions or referrals create intentional interactions, not passive impressions.
- Tap into high-intent audiences. Users on reward platforms are actively looking to earn and discover. When they complete a task tied to your brand, they’re engaging with purpose.
- Use first-party data, not third-party cookies. Besitos enables smarter targeting based on real user actions, preferences and performance, not just ad tracking.
- Drive loyalty through value alignment. When users feel rewarded and respected, they’re more likely to come back, creating longer-term brand affinity.
Whether you’re a game publisher looking to add new revenue streams or a brand seeking more meaningful engagement with users, Besitos makes it easy to plug into the Gen Z value loop with performance and transparency built in.
Ready to Reach Gen Z Where It Counts?
Gen Z is shaping their own path to purchase: one that starts with earning, continues with being rewarded for intentional actions and ends with brand affinity and real value unlocked. This shift isn’t coming; it’s already here. The global rewards and incentives platform market — worth USD 15.5 billion in 2024 and projected to more than double by 2033 — is proof that consumers and brands alike are embracing this model.
With Besitos, you can meet Gen Z inside the experiences they already trust. From promoting a product to embedding rewards directly into your app or game, Besitos helps you connect with users who are ready to engage — and ready to spend.
Contact us to start building smarter, value-driven experiences for the next generation of consumers.