Baby boomers remain one of retail's wealthiest customer groups, and their digital behavior has quietly caught up to the channels marketers assumed they ignored. Nearly 4 in 5 own smartphones, their online grocery adoption keeps climbing, yet almost no brand messaging speaks to them authentically.

This FAQ covers boomer digital habits, where to reach them, and how brands win the segment in 2026.

Why do baby boomers matter to marketers?

Boomers anchor the 50-plus consumer bloc that controls household purchasing across major categories. Nearly half of consumers ages 50 and older are the final decision-makers in their households for beauty and personal care (48.1%), food and beverage (48%), health and wellness (47.7%), and apparel (44.6%), according to a Curion report cited by EMARKETER. Yet the group is chronically underserved: Fewer than 7% of consumers ages 50 and older think brand messaging is often authentically designed for their demographic, per the same Curion data. The combination of high spending authority and low marketing attention makes boomers one of the least contested high-value audiences in consumer marketing.

How digitally connected are baby boomers?

More connected than marketing stereotypes assume, with a different usage rhythm. Some 78% of adults 65 and older own a smartphone, according to Pew Research Center. The difference is intensity rather than access: 14% of adults 65 and older say they are online almost constantly, compared with 63% of adults ages 18 to 29, per the same Pew research. Boomers are reachable through digital channels, but they engage in sessions rather than continuous scrolling. This favors channels consumers visit deliberately, such as email, search, news sites, and shopping apps, over feed-based formats that depend on always-on attention.

Which social platforms reach baby boomers?

Social reach among older adults is concentrated, and youth-skewing platforms underdeliver. Just 19% of adults 65 and older use Instagram, compared with 80% of adults ages 18 to 29, per Pew Research Center's Americans' Social Media Use 2025. The gap widens for short-form video: Roughly half of 18- to 29-year-olds go on TikTok at least once a day, compared with just 5% of adults 65 and older, per the same Pew study. Media plans that allocate boomer reach to trend-driven social platforms will structurally miss the audience. Channel mixes built on search, email, news, and established large-reach platforms align better with where older adults actually spend time.

How do baby boomers shop online?

Boomers are the growth segment in digital commerce, not the laggard. Baby boomers represent emerging digital adopters, with US online grocery adoption up 34% since 2020, per EMARKETER. Their requirements differ from younger shoppers: boomers prioritize security, detailed product descriptions, and next-day delivery options, per the same EMARKETER analysis. The pattern suggests conversion for this cohort depends on trust signals and information completeness rather than speed of checkout or social proof. Retailers that invest in clear product content, visible security cues, and reliable fulfillment capture boomer spending that flashier experiences lose.

What mistakes do brands make marketing to older consumers?

The core mistake is invisibility: with under 7% of 50-plus consumers seeing messaging authentically designed for them, per Curion data cited by EMARKETER, most brands simply do not try. Those that do try often default to age caricature rather than reflecting how older consumers actually live and buy. The brands committing to the demographic show what the opportunity looks like: Fashion brand Frances Valentine built roughly 40% of its customer base from shoppers ages 55 to 65 and calls the 50-plus consumer "our edge," noting few brands talk to this consumer successfully online, per EMARKETER. Authentic representation plus low competition equals efficient acquisition.

How should marketers reach baby boomers in 2026?

Build for deliberate digital sessions and trust-first conversion:

• Reallocate channel mix. Weight search, email, news environments, and large-reach platforms over youth-skewing social, where 65-plus penetration is thin, per Pew Research Center.
• Make trust visible. Security cues, transparent pricing, and detailed product information are conversion drivers for this cohort, per EMARKETER.
• Cast authentically. Messaging that reflects real older consumers stands out in a market where almost none does.
• Serve the omnichannel habit. Boomers' growing online adoption pairs with strong store loyalty; BOPIS and easy returns bridge both.
• Do not wait for competitors. The authenticity gap means early movers buy boomer attention at low cost, the same dynamic EMARKETER documents for Gen X.

We prepared this article with the assistance of generative AI tools and stand behind its accuracy, quality, and originality.

EMARKETER forecast data was current at publication and may have changed. EMARKETER clients have access to up-to-date forecast data. To explore EMARKETER solutions, click here.