Boomers Embrace Digital to Catch Up With Kids and Grandkids

Internet and mobile phones came into their lives as adults. They shop online less than their millennials and Generation X, and they use social media much less than Generation Z and for fewer activities.

However, baby boomers and seniors, who were born before 1965, have adopted some digital activities as part of their daily routine and are increasingly turning to the digital world for subscriptions or paying bills online. 

According to a PYMNTS Intelligence research study, “How the World Does Digital,” baby boomers and senior consumers engage in digital activities less than others, but their growth surpasses the rest, with a 3.6% increase year-over-year. That growth is at least double that of their younger peers, with the exception of Gen X.

The study measures digital engagement using the ConnectedEconomy™ (CE) Index, documenting the digital behaviors of over 17,000 consumers in 11 markets that account for 50% of the world’s GDP. 

According to PYMNTS data, older generations consistently engaged with a lower number of different digital activities per month than their younger counterparts.

Specifically, baby boomers and seniors engage in 8 distinct digital activities monthly, whereas every other generation participate in at least 14 different activities. The most common activity that baby boomers and seniors performed were related to banking, getting around or communications, reporting more than one digital activity per month.

This generation has also progressed in digital engagement in other areas. For instance, additional research noted that the average number of subscriptions among baby boomers and seniors increased from 1.1 to 1.3 from February to April this year. This was despite an overall drop in average subscriptions from 2.9 to 2.6 subscriptions per consumer during the same period.

The report found the most popular retail subscription service across age groups is Amazon’s Subscribe & Save. In the case of seniors and baby boomers, the rise of subscriptions in Amazon’s service could be a cost-cutting measure. This aligns with other savings strategies this demographic has embraced as inflation continues to strain budgets, and illustrates that older customers also look online for better deals. 

Older generations also see potential use cases for mobile wallets. As reported in another PYMNTS Intelligence study, 84% of baby boomers and seniors believe that mobile wallets can supplant at least some parts of a physical wallet and will be willing to use it.

In the same vein, PYMNTS Intelligence’s data shows that around two-thirds of this generation have already adopted digital channels for some healthcare activities, such as digital pharmacies or getting prescriptions online, and most of them are highly satisfied with their digital experiences. 

All these facts underscore that this demographic is a willing adopter of some digital innovations as a part of their lifestyle.