Call them the "Mature Market."
Adults over 50 spend $1 trillion annually on goods and services, with Internet purchases totaling $7 billion annually, according to Packaged Facts.
Front-end baby boomers — those in their late 50s and early 60s — are driving the growth of the mature population, which is the fastest-growing demographic in the US.
The group is techno-savvy: 78% of households with adults ages 55-64 own a PC, and more than 25% of those over 65 are experienced Internet users. Wealthier users are even more proficient on the Web, with 80% of those in the top 30% income bracket now considered experienced in Internet use.
"The sedentary lifestyle for seniors is all but gone as fitness and wellness, travel and socializing, and even jobs after retirement tease the new mature market into continuous activity," said Don Montuori of Packaged Facts. "Marketers need to be more conscious of the intense diversity within this 'silver tsunami' of 68 million people."