Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z: A Comparison of eCommerce Shopper Behavior
When it comes to marketing, brands need to understand their target audience. This is especially true for eCommerce businesses, as understanding your customers will help you sell more products and services.
There are key variations between how boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z like to shop.
So, are you curious about how various generations differ regarding their eCommerce buying habits and preferences?
Let's find out! 😊
Boomer Online Shopping Trends 🛍️
Boomers are the largest living generation, with an estimated 79 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964. Boomers are a powerful economic force, accounting for $7 trillion in annual spending.
Most Boomers (84%) shop online, making up 20% of all online shoppers. This is more than Gen Xers (80%) and Millennials (71%). While Boomer women were early adopters of eCommerce shopping, their male counterparts are still catching up: 83% shop online now compared to 78% five years ago.
Time management ⏰
Boomers are more efficient with their time. They use the internet to shop more than any other generation and know how to get what they want quickly.
In addition, boomers were early adopters of online shopping, so they're used to using websites and apps for everything from finding information (like reviews) or deals and coupons down to making purchases themselves.
Boomers also have a unique approach when comparing prices across different retailers: they'll often look at multiple sites before making a purchase decision because they know that price isn't always everything.
What about rewards programs? 🤔
There are differences in how Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials use reward programs.
For instance:
Boomers are more likely to be interested in a reward program than other generations. In fact, 75% of those surveyed said they were interested in joining a retailer's loyalty program (the highest percentage among all age groups).
Boomers also tend to spend more money with retailers when enrolled in their loyalty programs--they're not just collecting points for nothing! 75% say they spend more on average when they have access to a rewards program than when they don't; this number drops slightly among Gen Xers (69%).
Just 53% of Millennials say the same thing about themselves, though- younger shoppers may have higher expectations around what being part of such an initiative should mean for them financially.
Boomers are heavy internet users
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