Uber Advertising unveils research into consumer preferences for convenience, speed and personalisation among the UK’s ‘Gen Uber’

London, UK (9th June 2025) – Today, Uber Advertising released new research, exploring the digital behaviours, purchase preferences, and engagement with advertising of ‘Gen Uber.’ Shaped by a lifestyle rooted in culture, convenience, and community, Gen Uber is digitally fluent, time-conscious, and values real-world experiences.

While this research focuses on Gen Z and Millennials (18-43 year olds), its findings are indicative of shared habits that go beyond age. It suggests that human connectivity and convenience are core to the worldview of a key part of the population. Gen Uber uses digital platforms to engage with brands they trust and make their economic lives easier, so they can spend less time on purchases and more on real-world interactions.

The study shows that this group makes decisions digitally, quickly, and socially. While they favour fast, tech-driven solutions for everyday needs, they also research across many channels, being 60% more likely to use microblogs and vlogs to inform purchases. Gen Uber’s spontaneous while informed shopping behaviour spans categories – whether consumer goods, retail, electronics, or automotive. This reflects a desire to buy soon after evaluating price, quality, and brand values.

Gen Uber embraces and expects an on-demand economy. In the UK, they’re 70% more likely to use on-demand handyman/cleaning, telehealth, and professional services each month. Gen Uber uses these on-demand services to prioritise real-world experiences. They’re significantly more likely to spend time on cultural real-world activities—like sports, fashion, and travel—as well as everyday moments with friends and family, such as going to the cinema or eating out.

When choosing brands, trust, loyalty, and social currency matter. Nearly half of Gen Uber find it important that brands can support a sense of community and an emotional connection. Gen Uber evaluates brands that best reflect their identity and aspirations, and has high engagement with ads, outperforming the general population across channels. They’re also more likely to take action after seeing an ad, whether that’s searching for a product or adding it to a shopping list.

People turn to Uber and Uber Eats to turn intent into action in their daily lives, with 57% of respondents stating it helps them stay connected with friends and loved ones.

“Engaged, constantly moving, and culturally driven, Gen Uber isn’t simply a demographic —it’s a mindset,” said Edwin Wong, Head of Global Measurement Science for Uber Advertising. “The brands that will truly connect and earn loyalty with Gen Uber will not be those who shout the loudest, but who listen the best. This includes leveraging high-attention touchpoints to reach audiences when they’re most focused and open to discovery and pairing that with dynamic, relevant creative that is tailored to their situation and reflects their values.”

“We’re excited to watch this behaviour evolve as Gen Uber continues to grow,” said Kristi Argyilan, Global Head of Uber Advertising. “We’ll keep meeting the future of the on-demand economy—and remain focused on connecting brand partners with their audiences at the moment of purchase.”

See the report today, here



Methodology

This study was conducted by Uber Advertising and GWI in Q4 2024, surveying 1,019 respondents across Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers (for a full range of internet users from ages 18 to 64).

401 Gen Z

305 Millennials

152 Gen X

150 Baby Boomers

Definitions of audiences

Gen Pop = Internet users ages 18-64 years old

Gen Uber = Gen Z and Millennials (18 to 43 years old) who have used Uber or Uber Eats in the last 6 months 

About Uber

Uber’s mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 61 billion trips later, we’re building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities.