Study: Boomers engage in these consumer behaviors
A new study provides insight into what drives baby boomer purchases.
The study from marketing intelligence firm Sooth, "Boomers: The Activist Generation Quietly Shaping Tech, Travel, and Social Dynamics," indicates that boomers (born 1946-1964) are 50% less likely than the average person to follow a brand, 35% less likely to read sponsored posts and are generally more influenced by friends and family recommendations than younger audiences.
Sooth also collected other data about boomer consumer behavior in a variety of areas:
Social media
According to Sooth analysis, boomers are the fastest-growing generation on TikTok, using it as a rapid-fire version of TV. Boomer social media use mimics traditional media consumption patterns and they generally rely on algorithms to show content they like without needing to choose or follow accounts.
Sooth data also indicates that boomers are 66% less influenced by celebrities compared to Gen Z.
Brand preference
Boomers are 32% more likely to choose brands that provide excellent, personalized customer service, more than any other factor, according to data from Sooth. Two in three boomers prioritize a product’s ease of use over features, function or price.
In addition, the study shows that boomers are 2.2 times more likely than Gen Z to choose a brand because it’s organic and are also more likely than any other generation to do so.
Activism
According to Sooth analysis, boomers are three times more likely to recycle and use reusable grocery bags than Gen Z, as well as 39% more likely to donate time and money to environmental causes and 87% more likely to reduce personal automobile use for environmental conservation.
[READ MORE: Survey: Gen X, Boomers make sustainable choices]
Travel
The study reveals that boomers are three times more likely to travel with friends than alone or with family when social media inspired the trip. There has been a 30% increase in boomers saying social media inspired a specific trip in the past 18 months.
The results of the study were constructed by applying AI-driven psychographic models and proprietary analysis of data collected from 37.7 million baby boomers. analyzed across consume surveys, social conversations and media. Additional Sooth data overlays on technology behaviors and brand preferences were performed using survey data from 2,757 respondents aged 60-64, and from a travel behavior analysis using data from 3.2 million respondents aged 16-64.
