Gen Alpha Aren’t Just Future Consumers—They’re Training the Algorithms That Will Decide What Everyone Buys.

Many of us are still wrapping our heads around Gen Z—those oat milk-swilling, climate-anxious, TikTok-slinging disruptors of everything from politics to pasta sauce. And just as we’ve figured out how to market to them without sounding like their awkward uncle, we’re told to prepare for Gen Alpha.

Why are they called Gen Alpha? Well, because the alphabet ran out. And because when it came time to name the next cohort, social researcher Mark McCrindle—an Australian demographer—proposed starting fresh with the Greek alphabet, because: “If generations are to be defined by something more than sequential letters, then Gen Alpha should signify a new beginning. The first generation born entirely in the 21st century deserves a label that reflects the shift.”

I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first. Gen Z already gets more attention than they deserve based on their actual spending power. So why focus on a generation that, for the most part, can’t even cross the street without holding a grown-up’s hand?

Because time marches on. Because AI doesn’t wait. Because the habits being formed on iPads in backseats and classrooms are shaping the consumer instincts of the next two decades. And because brands that feel like friends in games will win a piece of the future.

This is not about the next customers. This is about customers-in-training—and they’re already making an outsized impact.

The Generation Born Online

Gen Alpha—those born from 2010 to 2024—will number close to 2 billion by next year, with roughly 2.5 million new members born globally each week (Exploding Topics). They’re the first to grow up with AI-generated tutors, personalized content feeds before they can spell, and household tech that responds to their voice.

Already, they shape $300 billion in annual household spending (SuperMomBusiness). In Brazil and the Philippines, over 70% of millennial parents say their children directly influence purchases ranging from food and clothes to mobile data plans.

In India, Gen Alpha has driven the rise of young YouTube creators like Anantya Anand (MyMissAnand), whose channel boasts over 14 million subscribers—more than many global legacy brands. These aren’t future tastemakers. They’re already shaping demand.

Where Gen Alpha Lives—And What They Expect

They’re not on social media. They are social media.

On Roblox—a global online platform where users (mostly kids) can create, play, and socialize in millions of user-generated 3D worlds—brands don’t buy banner ads. They build experiences. The platform sees over 85 million daily users, many under the age of 13 (DemandSage).

Nike, for example, created NIKELAND, a branded virtual world where kids could participate in sports-themed mini-games and earn digital Nike gear for their avatars—encouraging physical movement at home while building brand affinity. Gucci launched Gucci Garden, a surreal, explorable experience where users could try on and buy limited-edition virtual clothing for their avatars. Some virtual Gucci items later resold for more than their real-world counterparts. In China, Roblox developers have collaborated with local brands to create interactive Lunar New Year environments, complete with branded red envelopes, dragon parades, and culturally specific storytelling.

Fortnite, created by U.S. gaming company Epic Games, started as a multiplayer shooter but has evolved into a full-scale digital event platform with more than 650 million registered accounts worldwide (Exploding Topics). The platform now regularly hosts brand-sponsored events, including virtual concerts, movie trailers, and interactive exhibitions.

One of its most famous activations was a live performance by Travis Scott, an American rapper known for blending hip-hop with psychedelic visuals. His 2020 virtual concert inside Fortnite featured a 50-foot digital avatar of himself performing while players floated through kaleidoscopic worlds. The event drew 12.3 million live participants. It wasn’t just a concert—it was branded spectacle aimed squarely at Gen Z-ers.  But for many Gen Alpha players —who were already active on Fortnite—it was their first concert experience of any kind.

Fashion labels like Balenciaga and Moncler have also released custom outfits (called “skins”) for Fortnite avatars, turning high fashion into interactive, wearable gaming content. In this context, Fortnite is no longer a game—it’s a programmable cultural venue where entertainment, fashion, and advertising merge.

YouTube, the Google-owned video platform with over 2.4 billion monthly users (Backlinko), is where Gen Alpha spends much of their passive screen time. It’s both their teacher and entertainer. One of the biggest names in kid-focused content is Ryan’s World, a channel starring Ryan Kaji, a Texas-born child who began unboxing toys on camera at age 3. What began as cute videos for fellow preschoolers has grown into a global brand worth more than $250 million, with licensed products at Walmart, Target, and Amazon (Bloomberg).

But one of the most strategic ways brands are reaching Gen Alpha is in school.

LEGO Education, the learning division of the famous Danish toy company, distributes kits and software that teach science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts using LEGO bricks. It’s used in classrooms across more than 90 countries. Duolingo for Schools, a free version of the language-learning app adapted for classrooms, is active in over 36,000 institutions. In places like rural Kenya, it’s included on government-issued tablets to help bridge the education gap. Canva for Education, developed by Australian design software company Canva, provides free tools for teachers and students to create everything from slide decks to posters. It’s used by over 60 million students and educators worldwide (BusinessWire).

These companies aren’t sponsoring education. They are integrating with education. For Gen Alpha, brand exposure doesn’t start with a jingle or a cartoon. It starts with tools they use to learn, play, and express themselves—tools provided not by governments, but by brands.

The Household as Focus Group

In the UK, nearly half of families use shared shopping lists their children can contribute to (Numerator). In Egypt, Nestlé ran school-based design competitions where kids created snack packaging that later outperformed the brand’s professional redesign in A/B tests. In the U.S., 61% of parents say their kids regularly influence purchases ranging from household goods to travel plans (Marketing Dive).

This isn’t passive influence. It’s active co-creation. In a world of Spotify family accounts and Netflix profiles, the line between “parent” and “child” preferences is being blurred—by design.

What Marketers Need to Understand Now

Gen Alpha will comprise 11% of the global workforce by 2030 (IMD) and wield over $5.4 trillion in spending power by 2035 (UBS). But their influence starts now—not with their bank account, but with the data trails they leave behind.

Every tap on a school-issued tablet, every Roblox purchase, every Duolingo streak—they all teach personalization engines what this generation finds fun, valuable, and trustworthy. In other words, they’re not just future consumers. They’re shaping the AI models that will predict everyone’s consumer behavior.

If your brand isn’t part of that training set, it risks becoming invisible.

How Is This Different from Marketing to Gen Z?

Marketing to Gen Z meant adapting to a new mindset. Marketing to Gen Alpha means adapting to an entirely new infrastructure—one that’s interactive, predictive, ambient, and always on.

Gen Z switched between apps. Gen Alpha stays inside sprawling platforms like Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft—each a world where play, commerce, storytelling, and social interaction are blended into a seamless environment. There’s no “click-through.” There’s no off-ramp. If you’re not in the world, you’re invisible.

While Gen Z watched social media evolve, Gen Alpha was born into algorithmic life. Their viewing habits on YouTube Kids and Netflix Jr., their in-app movements, and their micro-interactions are actively shaping how recommendation engines behave. They aren’t just engaging with algorithms—they’re tuning them. Brands can’t just respond to data—they have to feed it.

Where Gen Z asked brands to be honest and inclusive, Gen Alpha expects them to be useful—immediately. If a brand doesn’t help them create, learn, or play from the first interaction, it gets ignored. They don’t need an origin story. They need functionality. One standout example is Toca Boca, the Swedish app studio that gives kids a digital playground with no goals, no ads, and no adult instructions. Usefulness is the message.

Gen Z grew up in a fragmented internet. Gen Alpha is growing up inside walled gardens—Apple’s child-safe ecosystem, Amazon Kids, Meta’s Messenger Kids. Every action is monitored, optimized, and controlled. They don’t expect freedom. They expect frictionless flow. And any brand that interrupts that flow feels broken.

Where Gen Z shaped culture through memes, activism, and social currency, Gen Alpha is being shaped by the branded environments around them—often before they can read. They’re learning math on tablets preloaded with corporate content. They’re watching bedtime stories sponsored by consumer brands. They don’t differentiate between public and private, platform and product. The brand isn’t the outsider. It’s the scaffolding.

How Smart Brands Are Moving First

The brands winning with Gen Alpha aren’t louder. They’re earlier, deeper, and more embedded. They understand that this isn’t about making noise—it’s about becoming part of the cultural operating system Gen Alpha is building from the inside out.

1. They build spaces, not ads.
   If your brand isn’t explorable, it’s forgettable. Gen Alpha expects immersion—not interruption. Whether it’s a world they can wander inside Roblox, an avatar they can dress in Fortnite, or a branded kids’ section on a streaming platform, the best marketing is spatial. It rewards curiosity, not attention.
2. They offer utility before selling.
   Brand equity is earned by solving a problem, sparking creativity, or making something easier. That could be a drawing tool, a learning shortcut, or a safe space for self-expression. Brands like Epic’s “Creative Mode,” Notion’s student templates, and Osmo’s learning tech don’t scream for attention—they quietly become indispensable.
3. They allow for participation.
   This generation doesn’t just watch—they remix. Brands that open the door to participation—by letting kids co-create product features, vote on content, or express identity through branded tools—become part of Gen Alpha’s self-concept. The brand isn’t a story they follow. It’s something they help shape.
4. They pass the parent sniff test.
   Gen Alpha may drive the desire, but it’s still parents who control the wallet. Winning brands earn intergenerational trust. That means safety without patronizing, learning without boredom, and values without virtue signaling. It also means tools that make parents’ lives easier—think curated modes, privacy settings, or collaborative features.
5. They go global by design.
   This is the first generation that will come of age entirely on a borderless internet. But borderless doesn’t mean bland. It means building with regional culture, languages, and humor embedded from the start. Whether it’s voice actors, local YouTube stars, or in-game events aligned with national holidays, brands that go global through local feel like they belong—everywhere.
6. They stand for something, always.
   Gen Alpha has been soaking in branded values since infancy. They know when it’s baked into a company’s DNA and when it’s pasted on for the press release. The brands they grow up trusting will be the ones whose actions, partnerships, and design decisions reflect what they claim to care about—without exception and without applause.

Don’t Market to the Child. Market to the Future.

Marketing to Gen Alpha isn’t about crafting ads for 10-year-olds. It’s about understanding the world they’re shaping, one Roblox badge and YouTube unboxing at a time. Brands that treat this as “kid stuff” are missing the real story: this is foundational infrastructure for future loyalty in a world where attention is embedded, not bought.

Ignore them, and your brand becomes white noise. Understand them, and you won’t just win the next generation—you’ll shape the one after that.