Koen van Gelder
Team Lead E-commerce
‘Millennial’ and ‘Generation Z’ are two of the biggest buzzwords in e-commerce. Everyone wants to know what the younger generations want, how they want to be treated as consumers, and which devices and channels they use. Although one could argue that younger consumers are trendsetters and thus highly influential in retail, there is one simple fact that retailers cannot get around – more than half of all wealth in the United States is held by Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation. Older generations have the most capital to spend, making them a primary target group for online retailers. As such, their online shopping behavior is a crucial topic in B2C e-commerce research.
E-commerce usage of senior adults
Older consumers are generally less active on the internet than younger consumers. For instance, in the United States, just over half of Baby Boomers and older seniors had an Amazon Prime membership in 2022. This was a low share compared to other generations, where more than 75 percent used Prime services. In addition, a recent global survey revealed that Boomers will likely be responsible for just 10 percent of social commerce spending in 2025 – much less than the spending of younger consumers. The online shopping activity of seniors has been increasing over the years, though. For instance, in France, one-quarter of Baby Boomers reported shopping more online during Black Friday in 2022 compared to the year before.What would make seniors shop online more often?
Most senior consumers still prefer to shop at physical stores. The speed of developing technology likely plays a role, and serves as an important factor when it comes to elderly shopping behavior. Whereas new tech is welcomed with open arms by many Zoomers and Millennials, many seniors are uncomfortable with new tech implementations. Still, e-commerce retailers can increase their Baby Boomer consumer base by paying attention to the specific needs and preferences of this older generation. For instance, in the U.S. and UK, fast delivery, secure tracking, and secure packaging are important factors for older e-shoppers.
