Gen Z Cohort
Bridging the Gap Between Today’s Reps and the New Generation of Specifiers
The average rep is a generation apart from the specifiers shaping tomorrow’s projects.
And that gap is growing.
Gen Z is entering the design workforce with different expectations around collaboration, materials, sustainability, digital tools, and brand relationships. They are not simply the next wave of designers. They are reshaping how influence, trust, and specification decisions happen.
The question for manufacturers is simple: How do you build relevance with the people who will soon be shaping every major project decision?
ThinkLab’s Gen Z Cohort connects sponsors directly with emerging design professionals through curated conversations, targeted research, and collaborative insight sessions.
Instead of guessing what the next generation wants, you hear it directly from them.
What Is the Gen Z Cohort?
The Gen Z Cohort is a curated group of emerging designers and specifiers who participate in structured ThinkLab research conversations throughout the year.
Each cohort session explores the questions manufacturers are asking most right now:
• How does Gen Z discover new brands?
• What earns trust with early-career designers?
• How do sustainability expectations influence specification?
• What role do digital tools play in product research?
• What makes a manufacturer feel like a partner?
ThinkLab facilitates the discussions, synthesizes the insights, and translates what we learn into clear strategic guidance for sponsors.
Sponsors gain direct exposure to how the next generation thinks — and how their expectations are shaping the future of the industry.
Investment
$20,000
For decades, relationships in the design industry have been built through reps, showrooms, and long-standing brand familiarity.
But the next generation is navigating the industry differently.
They are:
• Digital-first communicators
• Research-driven decision makers
• Highly collaborative across firms and disciplines
• Focused on sustainability, transparency, and purpose
At the same time, many manufacturers’ sales teams are a generation removed from these rising influencers.
That disconnect creates risk — but also opportunity.
Brands that understand Gen Z early will build trust sooner, shape product conversations earlier, and position themselves as partners rather than vendors.
The Gen Z Cohort was built to help manufacturers do exactly that.
Quarterly Insight Sessions
Sponsors gain access to moderated conversations with Gen Z designers and specifiers, where emerging perspectives and real-world challenges are explored.
Actionable Insight Reports
After each session, ThinkLab synthesizes the discussion into a concise insight summary highlighting key patterns, signals, and implications for manufacturers.
Industry Peer Perspective
Sponsors also gain visibility into how other brands are navigating similar generational shifts through aggregated insight and shared discussion.
This program delivers:
• Quarterly Gen Z insights you can act on immediately
• Peer perspective from across the design industry
• Clear strategic guidance for the year ahead
1. Instant Access to a Series of Existing Insights
Current findings around rethinking relationships, filling the mentorship void, where digital tools are worth the investments, and where physical tools still win.
2. Align on Your Strategic Questions
ThinkLab works with sponsors to identify the priorities that matter most — from specification behavior to brand perception to digital engagement.
3. Curate the Right Voices
We assemble a diverse panel of Gen Z designers and specifiers across firms and project types to ensure insights reflect real industry dynamics.
4. Incorporating Firm Champions
Each Gen Z Cohort member is further supported by a designated champion within their firm to create greater awareness and inspire growth.
5. Facilitate Insight-Rich Conversations
Through moderated cohort discussions and targeted surveys, participants explore the topics shaping how Gen Z evaluates brands and products.
6. Translate Insights Into Strategy
ThinkLab synthesizes findings into clear guidance sponsors can use to shape messaging, sales approaches, and product positioning.
-
Evolving Playbook for Relationship Building
-
Bridging the Mentorship Gap
-
Prioritizing Digital Tool Investment
-
Prioritizing Physical Tool Investment
- Topic of Your Choice