Boomers and Seniors Are Shifting to Digital Shopping, Too

Pymnts surveys indicate that both baby boomers and seniors are transitioning to e-commerce, which will likely continue until at least a COVID-19 vaccine is developed. The largest share of boomers and seniors — 59.7 percent — said the pandemic did not alter their shopping habits, which means the remaining 40.3 percent have made at least some modifications. Moreover, 21.7 percent of seniors and boomers said their migration to online shopping is permanent, compared to 11.8 percent who said the change is temporary. Consumers across all age groups listed fear of infection, fear of infecting someone else, and fear of dying as their top pandemic-related anxieties — and while they also said digital channels are crucial to avoiding the virus, older consumers are even more convinced of this. About 47 percent of boomers and seniors said they view choosing merchants based on their digital capabilities as a way to avoid infection, versus 41.5 percent of Generation X and 38.6 percent of bridge millennials. Boomers and seniors also tend to fill the "safety shifters" category of consumers who have adopted digital channels to purchase groceries and other products, and are more concerned about contracting the virus than others.