In an industry that often defines audiences by the stock standard age, location and gender, Afterpay is taking a different path, one paved with behaviours, not birthdays.
Speaking at the IAB Australia Commerce & Retail Media Summit in Sydney yesterday, Chloe Sanderson, Afterpay’s programmatic partnerships lead, unpacked insights from the 2025 Australian and New Zealand Commerce Report and made it clear that the brand is steering away from tired generational tropes and leaning into what people actually do, not just who they are on paper.
“72 per cent of Afterpay consumers are either Gen Z or Millennials. But the interesting thing in what we see in our consumer insights on the back of their purchases is that they don’t necessarily shop as a Gen Z or as a millennial,” she explained.
“We’re still all doing it. We’re still targeting 45 to 54-year-olds, females or males. And yes, there is a place for that, and it does make sense in some scenarios. But how do we delve deeper into the way we’re targeting these people and truly meet their needs? And the way that we’re doing at Afterpay is we’re trying to connect brands to consumers based on how people are shopping and not who they are on paper”.
The report, developed in partnership with Pureprofile, provides a detailed examination of shifting shopper behaviours across the region. While it highlights generational differences, such as the growing popularity of second-hand shopping and the increasing influence of creator-led discovery channels, it also emphasises the complexity of consumer intent, loyalty expectations and the demand for clarity around data usage.
It found that online shoppers now use an average of 4.8 touchpoints to discover new products, ranging from search and retailer-owned content to influencers and social media. Search remains dominant overall, but 59 per cent of 18-39s say social media is a key discovery tool, with 75 per cent reporting they’ve found brands through influencers.
Importantly, it found that consumers across all age groups expect value, clarity and a sense of control. A majority of Australians and New Zealanders want more transparency from retailers regarding how their data is used, with 73% still feeling uneasy about current practices.
This aligns with Afterpay’s stance that trust isn’t just built on privacy policies, it’s about the full brand experience. “I don’t think this is necessarily just a compliance regulatory framework policy issue. I actually think it’s an issue with brand trust,” Sanderson explained on the panel.
“Building brand trust actually comes down to a lot of things like better reward programs and loyalty programs, but it also comes down to relevant advertising, and if we’re missing that mark, we’re causing distrust in the consumer’s mind”.
Currently planning a trip to Everest Base Camp, Sanderson purchased a pair of hiking boots from a retailer and has since been followed by those boots – so much so that she has stopped shopping at that retailer. “Now I’m not a loyal customer because of this experience,” she explained.
“Consumers don’t hate personalisation. We did an Afterpay 2030 report last year, which found that 66% of people want to be heard by the brand. They want to feel like their needs are being understood and that advertisers are building campaigns based on those needs and tailoring them to the consumer”.
“They don’t hate personalisation. They just want to feel safe about it. They don’t want to be followed around the internet like I have been for the past six months”.
And when it comes to loyalty, behavioural targeting proves especially powerful. The report notes that over two-thirds of shoppers say they would be more loyal to brands that let them personalise their loyalty experience. Gone are the days of opaque point schemes; clarity and perceived value now rule.
“People are getting smarter about how they shop. They want value, but increasingly that means something different to different groups, whether it’s free shipping, finding unique pre-loved items, or discovering a brand via a TikTok creator. Marketers need to stay on top of these audience behaviours and motivations to think more holistically about what value looks like and where their audiences are making those judgments,” said Pureprofile CEO Martin Filz upon the release of the report.
Another shift is underway in how marketers are being encouraged to engage with the entire funnel. Afterpay sees its media network not just as a retail offering but as a “commerce media network”, designed to support a brand’s presence across the entire shopper journey, from discovery to conversion.
“We’re not building a retail media network. We’re building a commerce Media Network, and we just want to help brands show up in a way that is intentional, measurable and connected,” Sanderson explained.
That omnichannel thinking aligns with the report’s finding that consumers use nearly five online touchpoints on average when discovering products. The challenge, and opportunity, is in creating a connected, low-friction experience across those moments.
By tuning into behaviour over generational assumptions, Afterpay and others are building a more responsive, respectful and ultimately effective retail media ecosystem. And according to the data, that’s exactly what shoppers want.
