It will be five years before retailers and brands experience the full economic force of Gen Z, but already this group of shoppers is dropping hints of how things are going to change. And a lot of that change involves their perceptions of wellness. Here’s a heads-up, from our How America Shops® research.

Gen Z is poking the big bear that is the wellness industry. If you’re a retailer or any kind of consumer brand, you need to pay attention now.

The oldest of Gen Z are 22 and joining the workforce, and 13% of them are married. From them we get a preview of what to expect in wellness. And those expectations will escalate as fast as the retail industry can wink.

In three to five years these “kids” will be full-blown professionals, families and shoppers, but they are taking wellness seriously now. This is what they’ve told us, which is in our How America Shops® report, The Big Business of WELL:

Gen Z is Doing WELL Under Your Nose. 5 Ways to Get Ahead of Them

Gen Z is making these WELL preferences evident to us, so why not get ahead of them? Following are our five strategies for winning this “tomorrow consumer” today, based on what Gen Z is already making loud and clear.

1. Treat them like the authority. Gen Z does not have to adapt to wellness – they were born into it. Staying fit and a preference for healthy, organic foods (with transparent labels) are second nature. So don’t preach to them; collaborate with them.
2. Feed them information. Born into the age of Google, Gen Z is wired to just look up whatever they want to know the moment they want to know it. Products and retailers that offer easy answers to common questions will better engage them.
3. In digital they trust. Because they are digital natives, members of Gen Z have been conditioned by social media and they believe it as an advertiser. Earn the trust of digital influencers, and you win the confidence of Gen Z.
4. Be bold. Members of Gen Z gravitate toward entrepreneurial brands and alternative health services. They find these niche labels and products more interesting, easier to understand and a form of self-expression.
5. Be nimble, and expect a little rule-breaking. While Gen Z was born into a world of well, its members occasionally like to color outside the lines and not follow the rules. However, they do know the rules and prefer to make their own choices about when to break them; they will not tolerate being misled about the ingredients or performance of a product.

Make no mistake: Gen Z’s attitudes and choices will re-define The Big Business of WELL. The fact that they are already jostling the wellness giant is a major opportunity. For those retailers and brands that don’t get ahead of it, it could be costly.