Boomers Consumer Insights

Trend - Boomer-focused digital literacy programs are increasingly embracing conversational approaches, creating a casual environment where learning feels less like a formal class and more like a conversation between friends. Notably, this approach respects varying levels of tech familiarity and confidence.

Insight - Baby boomers are discovering how digital devices can significantly enhance their lives and are actively seeking tools that make this learning process more supportive and less daunting. In response, brands are adopting conversational, companionship-centered approaches to make the experience more engaging and reassuring. This personalized support not only helps consumers become proficient with current products but also fosters a sense of loyalty, encouraging them to embrace future releases.

Trend - Incremental games are titles that progress over time without user input. This progress can be accelerated by actively playing the game. The passive progression model leads to consistent progression for the players, which is often satisfying and addicting, regardless of the players' busy schedules.

Insight - One of the fastest-growing markets in gaming is mobile gaming. With nearly every consumer having a gaming-capable smartphone in their pocket, the potential user base for these games is incredibly expansive. However, not all consumers have the time to actively engage with games. For these busier consumers who desire the satisfaction and relaxation of gaming with minimal free time, brands are releasing incremental progression games that automatically play themselves, even when the app is closed.

Trend - Automotive manufacturers are launching new vehicles inspired by retro designs. These cars blend retro aesthetics with modern features, such as electric engines, network connectivity, or motion sensors. Often limited-edition products, these vehicles capture nostalgia without compromising on comforts.

Insight - While more consumers adopt electric vehicles (EVs) each year, there are still large subsets of drivers that prefer traditional gas-powered vehicles. Whether due to aesthetics or function, these consumers are hesitant to adopt EVs, despite these vehicles often being more environmentally friendly, having lower costs of ownership, and having more modern features. In an attempt to accelerate EV adoption amongst these consumers, brands are tapping into retro designs to capitalize on nostalgia.

Trend - Healthtech brands are creating specialized eyewear with built-in hearing aids. Utilizing technologies like bone conduction, transcription, or audio amplification, these glasses aim to provide a non-intrusive solution to hearing impairment—meaning they can be worn daily with minimal discomfort.

Insight - As individuals age, many develop issues related to sight or hearing impairments. These consumers turn to wearable solutions, such as corrective lenses or in-ear hearing aids, to improve their quality of life. However, of these consumers acknowledge that these solutions are uncomfortable, and are just worn as necessities. Brands are now looking to use modern technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to improve the quality of these solutions, both in terms of comfort and assistive ability.

Trend - Brands in the beauty industry are making less-traditional procedures more affordable and accessible. Through marketing and increased availability, these procedures are being destigmatized, and are in turn becoming more commonplace. These factors result in fewer barriers for interested consumers.

Insight - Millennials and previous generations grew up in a society that stigmatized purely cosmetic procedures, such as bodily injections or lifts. In part brought on by the shifting nature of the beauty industry and by North American society trending in a progressive direction, the stigmas around such practices are fading. As a result, brands are more openly advertising these services in order to appeal to consumers who may have previously considered or been on-the-fence about such beauty practices.

Trend - Brands are tapping into nostalgic soda flavors, reimagining these drinks as health-positive products filled with probiotics. These items satisfy nostalgic desires for hearty, classic sodas while simultaneously boosting consumers' gut health.

Insight - Many consumers remember the joy of drinking soda as a youth. However, far fewer customers continue to drink soda in adulthood for health reasons. These consumers desire to recapture these flavorful, youthful experiences, but not to the detriment of their own health. Therefore these customers place pressure on brands to create better-for-you products that appease nostalgia.

Trend - Brands are increasingly launching digital and technological menopause solutions, as consumers have become more familiar with technology over the pandemic. These products help consumers manage symptoms from home while ensuring they have on-demand access to support through digital channels.

Insight - The pandemic caused women experiencing menopause to feel more isolated than before as in-person medical services were moved to digital platforms. These conditions led to aging consumers becoming more intimately connected to technology than before, increasing the perceived value of menopause-focused technological solutions. This directly caused an increase in demand for smart gadgets, AI-powered solutions, and digital platforms focused on perimenopause and menopause support.

Trend - Due to mobility issues and/or other age-related disabilities, senior citizens find it more difficult to connect, travel, exercise, and enjoy outdoor activities. Brands are leveraging the accessibility of the metaverse to create tailored experiences that address these problem areas. Services emphasize social interaction and immersion in the metaverse.

Insight - The pandemic caused levels of perceived isolation to worsen, leading to elderly people feeling even more disconnected from their friends and communities. These individuals found it harder to remain active and access daily services. The rapidly-advancing metaverse arose as a space for innovation in these areas, leading to brands creating curated experiences for elderly people that help with socialization, exercises, mental stimulation, and services such as banking or healthcare.

Trend - As the possible applications of artificial intelligence continue to evolve, new med tech startups are leveraging Wi-Fi sensing technology augmented by AI to provide non-invasive forms of health monitoring to at-home patients. This includes fall detection, activity level monitoring, and abnormal behavior monitoring.

Insight - Pandemic-driven lockdowns have caused many people, particularly elders, to remain at home more frequently. Combining this with the fact that many primary caregivers were often away from home for long periods of time, there arose a need for constant home monitoring of risk-prone individuals. However, solutions such as cameras are invasive to personal privacy, leading to many brands creating wireless, camera-free sensors that operate constantly. This new solution, then, offers both peace of mind and privacy.

Trend - While countless skincare brands explicitly focus on Millennial consumers, products specifically targeting boomers are also on the rise. These mature skin-focused products ditch elusive claims of age-reversal and instead focus on skin health, texture, and post-menopausal skin concerns.

Insight - Consumers continue to demand products that cater to their specific needs as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach. Baby boomers, with both time and money to spare, look to beauty and personal care brands to expressly design and formulate products to address their evolving concerns at every life stage.