Generation Z is our future. They are tech-savvy, climate-conscious and perhaps the most ethnically diverse generation the world has seen so far. With unmatched access to information and their intuitive ability to consume a massive amount of information online, Gen Z is considered the most informed segment of customers that the world currently caters to. India, as of 2020, has the world’s largest Generation Z cohort with 256 million young people from this generation.
So what is important to this generation?
Inclusion. Representation. Loyalty and Authenticity. And most importantly a healthy and habitable planet to live on.
Gen Z understands the need of the hour, the apocalyptic nature of climate change and the current reliance on fossil fuels across the world. Since 15-year-old Greta Thunberg’s first school strike in 2018, they have been actively organising and participating in global movements against climate change. They represent a future: Our future — where they will lead us.
And that is who I am building for. I am building for Generation Z.
Gen Z is already holding corporations accountable by sharing their views directly with companies, leveraging their individual purchasing power. This generation reads all the details on the labels with the intent to understand the ethical standards of the manufacturing process. They make informed decisions about which brands and products to support, while which ones to condemn or “cancel” under the cancel culture. Some of the biggest consumer brands have faced criticisms regarding unfair labour practices, harming the environment through toxic pollutants, using chemicals that accelerate greenhouse effects, and other unacceptable activities. These companies either had to fix those issues or faced bad publicity, a decrease in sales and even a drop in share prices, ramifications that can not be fixed by a simple PR campaign. This is the power of Gen Z consumers and also the reason why I push myself and my team to focus on sustainability in our product, process and output.
I am building for a generation that values ethical practices.
We live in a terrifying world of negativity right now where governments everywhere seem inept at solving global problems while companies are too busy focusing on profits and cutting costs at all costs. The governments have to start working like private companies in terms of efficiency and effectiveness while the companies need to start thinking like the government in terms of creating value and impact for society. No real story goes past the new generation and we cannot move them with advertising campaigns anymore. The only way to earn the trust of this generation is to truly care about what they value.
I am building for a generation that is socially conscious.
Almost the entirely of global transport currently is fulled by fossil fuels. The changes to the planet in the last two decades mean that we can no longer engage with fossil fuel fuels as we used to. The new exciting future of electric vehicles is beneficial in more ways than one, especially for a country like India. 21 out of the 30 most polluted cities in the world are in India. We are number 5 in the world in terms of the Air Quality Index (AQI) and number 3 in the World’s most polluted countries list! Electric vehicles will not solve the problem entirely but it is a big first step towards reducing our pollution output and making Indian cities a little more breathable and pollution-free.
I am building to neutralise this problem.
The Green Credit initiative at Srivaru Motors is a revolutionary business practice that incentivises our customers to plant 10 trees for each Prana e-bike they purchase. We have begun this powerful movement and have set a benchmark for our competitors. One that demonstrates a profitable business model that is socially conscious, exercises ethical labour policies with environment regenerative business practices.
We encourage our customers to plant 10 tree saplings each, by giving them a Rs. 20,000 discount. Over 1200 trees have been planted already under this initiative. Inspired by the initiative, one of our customers planted 300 trees himself instead of just 10! This year, we will be planting over 70,000 trees in India to combat this pollution challenge and create a community of like-minded people who believe in fighting climate change. Urban Indian youth is aware of the giant pollution problem and are waiting in the market for a company to solve this issue. According to CarDekho and Omnicom Media Group (OMG)’s 2021 survey, 66% of respondents said they were willing to purchase an electric vehicle and 68% believed switching to EVs helps in reducing air pollution.
I am building for a generation that cares for its planet.
Organisational values at Srivaru Motors (SVM) are strongly interwoven with the mind, pockets and hearts of the Indian gen Z which has tremendous potential for expansion to the global market. You see, we didn’t just make an e-bike, we just built a real path to the global goal of eco-consciousness! And as Gen Z has demonstrated over and over again, once they put their faith in a product and the values of a brand, they become the brand’s evangelists. Our customers are proud of owning a Prana and constantly cheer us on by being strong advocates of our values and business practices. They are our proudest brand ambassadors. So I welcome you to the era of sustainable development, to the era of environmentally conscious products, to the era of future mobility… to the era of Prana.