Young consumers are so involved with the web that most believe the way they appear online is more important than how they look in person, according to a study by website-building platform Squarespace.  

Of those polled, 62% of millennials and 60% of Gen Zers feel that online appearance tops personal. In contrast, only 38% of Gen Xers believe that and 29% of baby boomers. 

In fact, 44% of Gen Z and 39% of millennials feel they make a better first impression online than they do in person, versus 21% of Gen X and 8% of boomers. 

Plus, 71% of millennials and 58% of Gen Z will remember the color of a website more than a person’s eye color. 

And, in general, 43% of Gen Zers are likely to remember the last website they visited off the top of their head, compared with 38% who recall their partner’s birthday and 31% their own Social Security number. 

“Americans browse over 3,000 websites a year, and our research shows the things we see online can make a more lasting impression than things we see in person,” states Kinjil Mathur, CMO at Squarespace. 

All this is good news for email marketers — if not for high-end clothiers. Emails that link to a well-designed site and are similar in appearance, are bound to be viewed in the same way, assuming these young people are engaged with email. 

All indications are that they are. 

A recent survey by Jeeng found that almost 80% of Gen Zers check their emails several times a day, and widely prefer email for real-time alerts. Moreover, most will sign up for relevant email newsletters, with 50% saying they subscribe because they are already reading the content on the publisher’s website.   

Newsletters that focus on entrepreneurial best practices are bound to do well, for 92% of Gen Zers want to start their own business, along with 86% of millennials, 74% of Gen Zers and 50% of baby boomers, Squarespace found. 

On average, Americans visit 8.4 websites per day. Of those, 43% spend more time browsing the web than working out and 42% more than having sex in a given week. 

Among Gen Zers, 92% multi-task while browsing the web. They are also likely to be eating food (59%), listening to music (59%), talking on the phone (45%) and dancing (28%)—more than any other generation.  

Where do they likely to be when browsing? For 65%, the top location is in bed, and for 43% in the bathroom. 

Not all browsing can be construed as healthy: 20% of Americans look up their exes online, and 32% their current romantic partner. In addition, 51% of Gen Z and 55% of millennials look up their current partner at least once a week.   

But keep this in mind if you’re setting up a meeting: 85% of Gen Zers and 79% of millennials look people up before meeting them the first time, as do 65% of Gen Xers and 44% of boomers.  

Squarespace partnered with The Harris Poll to survey over 2,000 U.S. adults.