Even if marketers are fixated on attracting millennials and Gen Zers, it doesn’t imply they should ignore baby boomers. Our projections show that 11.3 million consumers between the ages of 55 and 64 and 10.8 million consumers 65 and older will use social media to make a purchase in the coming year.
Advertising to baby boomers is a smart move. In Q2 of 2023, GWI found that 63% of people had a credit card. Not only that, 30% of the population has a high income, and 39% had made an internet purchase in the past week.
However, the same survey also found that just 10% of boomers feel that they are portrayed in ads, even though they have a lot of disposable income.
If marketers can figure out where and how baby boomers want to spend their time, social media can help bridge the divide.
“We’ve seen the digitization of baby boomers,” stated Andy Childs, head of strategy, Central Europe at Meta, during a GWI webinar. From 37 minutes in 2013 to 2.5 hours in 2023, there has been a 2.8-fold rise in daily mobile time. On top of that, they spend approximately 90 minutes every day on social media, a 68% rise from the previous year.
- Our May 2023 prediction states that by 2024, 36.4 million baby boomers, or 53.8% of the US population, will be active on social media.
- The majority of baby boomers use Facebook, according to GWI. Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat, and TikTok are also experiencing significant growth in user numbers.
“The number of [boomers] who regularly use video-based apps is climbing,” stated Tyler Ashe, senior trends analyst at GWI, with authority.
- Our May 2023 prediction is that, on average, American consumers would spend 49 minutes per day viewing social video in 2024, a 5.8% year-over-year rise.
- The percentage of US baby boomers who say that following influencers is the main reason they use social media has increased by 22% since Q2 2021, according to GWI.
- “Older lifestyle influencers like Barbara Costello, Lynn Davis, and Gym Tan are helping to increase the visibility and representation of boomers on social media channels,” Ashe added.
Which is the most important thing to make them buy? Winning their confidence
According to a CivicScience poll conducted in August 2023, the most important aspect for US individuals, especially those 55 and older, when making a purchasing decision is having knowledge and confidence in the brand.
A word of warning, though: brands shouldn’t put the satisfaction of making a fast buck ahead of the devotion of baby boomers. Bankrate and YouGov found that 62% of baby boomers have felt remorse about an impulsive purchase they made after seeing it on social media.
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