The younger generations, including Gen Z and Millennials, are reshaping how people eat, shop, and take care of themselves. They don’t just look for a meal or a beauty service; they seek experiences, true value, and authenticity. For businesses in service industries such as restaurants, beauty salons, or gyms, understanding these trends is crucial to survival and growth.

This article dives into the factors that influence young consumers’ decision-making when choosing services, while also offering detailed guidance to increase digital brand awareness and reach target customers.

I. Shaping the Trends: How Young People Choose Services

Today’s youth are smart consumers, socially conscious, and deeply connected to the digital world. Their decisions when choosing a service are usually based on four main elements: experience, sustainability, technology, and community.

1. Criteria for Choosing a Restaurant

For Gen Z and Millennials, a restaurant is not just a place to eat—it’s a place to create experiences and online content. Key criteria include:

Aesthetic appeal of the space and food
Restaurants need unique designs, good lighting, and photogenic corners. A beautiful dish or an eye-catching wall can encourage young customers to check in and share on social media.

Value of experience
Young customers care about the overall experience, not just taste. This could include hidden spaces, open kitchens, DIY dining experiences, or unique stories behind ingredients.

Sustainable and traceable food sources
They care about health and the environment—willing to pay more for organic, locally sourced ingredients or restaurants committed to reducing waste.

Community reviews and recommendations
They trust reviewers and micro-influencers more than traditional ads. A detailed and honest review can motivate them to try a restaurant.

2. Choosing Beauty Salons and Aesthetic Services

In the beauty industry, trust is the most important factor. Young customers have clear expectations:

Atmosphere and vibe
The space must feel relaxing and fit their personal style—whether minimalist, luxurious, or youthful and edgy.

Technology and innovation
They value salons using modern beauty technologies, which signals professionalism and effectiveness.

Visible results
They want clear proof through “before-after” videos, recorded procedures, or staff certifications.

Personalized services
Customized treatments tailored to individual skin, hair, or personal preferences are preferred over generic service packages.

3. The Importance of Social Media and Short-Form Content

Whether it’s restaurants or beauty salons, young people’s final decision often starts on social media—especially TikTok and Instagram Reels.

• Short videos: quick reviews, location recommendations, and behind-the-scenes content are key information sources.

• Local hashtags: hashtags like #EssenInHanoi or #SchoenInSaigon help them discover new places.

• Social media before Google: Many young people search on TikTok or Instagram before consulting Google Maps.

II. Strategies to Boost Digital Brand Awareness

To attract and retain young customers, businesses need a comprehensive digital strategy—with the website as the center and social media as the amplification tool.

1. Strengthening Brand Recognition Through the Website

A website is the business’s “digital home” and the strongest conversion asset.

a. Optimizing user experience (UX)

• Speed & mobile-first: With low patience and 80% traffic coming from mobile, fast loading on smartphones is essential.

• Aesthetic design: The website must look modern, intuitive, and reflect brand identity.

b. Conversion-optimized content

• Menu/Services with storytelling: Go beyond listing—tell the story behind dishes, ingredients, or exclusive techniques.

• Integrated booking: Easy online booking accelerates decisions.

• Centralized review page: Showcase ratings from Google, Facebook, etc., to build trust.

c. Local SEO optimization

• Google My Business: Ensure website info—address, hours, phone—matches GMB exactly.

• Schema Markup: Help search engines recognize business type, location, and reviews.

• Location-based content: Create blogs or landing pages targeting local search terms (e.g., „Top veganes Restaurant im 3. Bezirk – Genuss ohne Kompromisse“).

2. Amplifying Brand Presence Through Social Media

Social media is the place to build community and emotional engagement.

Multi-platform strategy

• TikTok/Reels: Short videos, trending sounds, entertainment → reach & discovery

• Instagram: Aesthetic visuals, high-quality short videos, Stories, polls → brand look & community engagement

• Facebook: Images/longer videos, promotions, ads → loyal customers & bookings

a. Authenticity-focused content

• Behind-the-scenes: food prep, staff training, sanitization processes

• Knowledge sharing: cooking tips, skin/hair care guides

• Language & trends: use Gen Z-friendly sounds, slang, and memes

b. Interaction & collaboration

• Partner with local micro-influencers with strong engagement

• Encourage user-generated content via challenges/brand hashtags

• Respond quickly and professionally to comments and messages

3. Location-Focused Advertising

Use local ads to effectively reach target customers:

• Location-based ads: Target users within 1–5 km of the store

• Proximity marketing: Show ads when users enter nearby areas

• Retargeting: Special offers for those who visited the website or social channels

III. Common Mistakes of Vietnamese Business Owners in Germany

Besides understanding youth trends, many Vietnamese F&B and beauty businesses in Germany face issues such as:

• Over-reliance on loyal customers & word-of-mouth → limited reach to local customers

• No website or outdated websites → lack of information and conversion features

• Ineffective social media → no localization, no German language, poor visuals

• Neglecting Google reviews → outdated images/hours, no response to negative ratings

• No clear marketing plan → scattered promotions, difficult to measure performance

IV. The Role of SPS Marketing

SPS Marketing supports Vietnamese business owners in Germany by building professional marketing strategies:

• Professional website: optimized UX, visuals, booking features, Local SEO

• Social media: aesthetic, localized content, multi-platform management, community interaction

• Comprehensive marketing planning: target audience identification, content strategy, synchronized website & social, effective advertising campaigns

When applied correctly, businesses can increase brand recognition, expand local customer reach, and build long-term trust.

V. Conclusion

Young people seek a combination of quality, experience, and ethical values. For service businesses, increasing digital brand presence is a continuous cycle:

• Monitor trends on TikTok/Reels & Instagram to understand their needs

• Create authentic, aesthetic, and educational content on social media

• Drive traffic to optimized websites where conversions happen

• Enhance Local SEO & Google My Business for better local discoverability

Investing in a professional website and leveraging social media is the most effective way to turn a business into a sought-after and highly shareable destination. Businesses not only boost visibility but also build a loyal community that aligns with the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z and Millennials.