The insights: Generation X leads in consumer spending, and tech industry marketers may be missing out on a key opportunity, especially this holiday season.
- Gen Xers worldwide will spend $15.2 trillion in 2025—more than any other generation—per NielsenIQ’s The X Factor report.
- 25% of UK Gen Xers plan to spend more than £500 ($639) on Christmas gifts this year, per Azerion, while only 1% of Gen Zers say they will spend that much.
This trend of high spending by Gen Xers will continue through 2033, per NielsenIQ, when millennials are projected to surpass them as the biggest generational spenders.
Tech marketers should act on advertising to the Gen X cohort before its share of total spending starts to decline. Below are some ways to target that lucrative market and maximize ad spend.
Loyal customers: While Gen Zers’ brand loyalty is often built on hype, Gen Xers are a different story.
- Loyalty for those ages 45 through 60 is developed through reliable quality and positive user experiences.
- Still, they remain open to trying new products: 42% like to try new things, or even be the first to do so. Just under 20% stick with what they know.
Brands can build off of Gen X loyalty with clear, straightforward promotions for new products based on value propositions.
Tech savvy: Gen Xers are open to smart home tech, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR), making them a prime audience for immersive brand experiences.
- More than a third are likely to buy something they’ve only experienced through an AR or VR platform.
- 39% take product suggestions from AI assistants like Siri or Alexa, per NielsenIQ.
- 35% use smart devices—like refrigerator sensors—to automatically order new products.
AI-driven recommendations in apps and AR ads through wearables can meet Gen Xers where they’re already engaged to encourage purchases.
Family obligations: Gen X’s projected heavy spending is driven in part by their dual roles as caregivers for both children and parents, per NielsenIQ. As “caretaker consumers,” Gen Xers often have control over household budgets.
With the ability to influence the purchasing decisions of others in the home, including Gen Zers, millennials, and baby boomers, brands should position products as tools that can serve the entire family.
Our take: This is marketers’ cue to lean into smarter personalization, digital experiences, and loyalty programs that appeal to Gen X’s tech-savvy, open-minded style, and their outsized influence on household spending. Dedicated strategies to target Gen X now will drive growth while spending power is at its peak.