From The Summer 2004 Issue of Natural Grocery Buyer

Too Old To Rock ’n’ Roll? Never!

Lisa Everitt

As the baby boomer generation passes 50 and heads for 60, retailers’ perceptions of “senior citizens” are beginning to change.

Placidly knitting in a rocking chair, listening to Englebert Humperdinck? Hardly. Aging boomers are handling gray hair, menopause and grandchildren just as they took on every other challenge in their lives to date—at full speed, with the top down and the Rolling Stones blasting on the radio.

The oldest of America’s 76 million boomers are reaching 60. What kind of consumers are they? Voracious. According to a recent study by AARP, those over age 45 were responsible for 52 percent of all consumer spending in 2001, up from 47 percent in 1984. That’s a $2.28 trillion market you can’t ignore.

So what does merchandising to aging America require? Subtlety, for starters. Older Americans don’t think of themselves as older Americans. They think of themselves as Everyperson. So retailers, store designers and packaged-goods marketers should too. AARP champions something called “universal design,” in which commercial and living spaces are optimized for human beings. Sure, nonslip floors help protect little old ladies who are prone to catastrophic falls, but 20-somethings and tiny kids slip, too. Lower shelving helps the wheelchair-bound, but short people will also thank you.

Today’s older Americans are less inclined to accept the limitations of age. They want glucosamine so they can keep swimming and phytoestrogen cream to stay the ravages of time on postmenopausal skin.

“As retailers, we really can’t tell by looking at someone if they have any physical limitations, and we certainly can’t ask, so it just makes good customer service sense to try and make shopping easier,” says Georganne Bender, a retail consultant and speaker based in St. Charles, Ill. Convenience is still key among this demographic. Although older people are more likely than younger adults to cook from scratch, the AARP found that the 45-to-54 demographic spent more on eating out than any other cohort—25 percent above the average expenditure of all age groups. Do you think they’ll suddenly discover the stove when they retire? Don’t bet on it.

All those meals away from home can add up to extra poundage and unhealthy portions of fat and carbohydrates. Aging boomers will be looking for quick meal solutions that don’t make them fat or ill, and ways to eat more lean protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, so keep that in mind when you design the product assortment in your deli and grab-and-go case.

What else do we know about boomers? They’re …

Not a leisure class. Boomers may be aging, but they’re not slowing down. Most boomers are still working, and thanks to the state of their retirement investments, many of them expect to be working for a long, long time. A 55-year-old father may have kids out of college or babies in arms—or both at once—and aging parents to tend to, as well. Boomers are the “sandwich generation,” and their time pressures are real.

Not immune to aging. No amount of money, impatience or youthful attitude can keep middle-aged eyes from fading or prevent hot flashes or creaky knees. The difference: Today’s older Americans are less inclined to accept the limitations of age. They want glucosamine so they can keep swimming and phytoestrogen cream to stay the ravages of time on postmenopausal skin. They want control of their health and are more likely to seek answers in nutrition and alternative medicine.

Not so thrifty. Your grandma may have saved rubber bands and darned holes in socks, but those habits came from years of economizing. With the Great Depression a distant memory, today’s grandmothers are more likely to treat themselves to some designer chocolate and a $20 bottle of shampoo.

Not so stupid either. People moan when their membership packet from the AARP beats their 50th birthday cards into the mailbox. Then they sign up because they want the discounts.

They play hard. The median age of Harley Davidson buyers is 46, with a $78,000 household income. Been to a rock concert lately? The people down front paying $75 to shake their moneymakers to the Stones and Bruce Springsteen are likely as old as, well, Mick Jagger (61) and Springsteen (54).

They want information. Forty-five percent of boomers are seeking more information about health and nutrition, or so they told the FMI/Prevention “Shopping for Health 2003” survey. More than a third of respondents want this information in their supermarket.

They redefine the rules. They always have. Starting in the 1960s, boomers made things up as they went along, from rock ’n’ roll to coed dorms. Now people celebrate turning 50 by renting a villa in Tuscany or running their first marathon. Cadillac uses a screaming Led Zeppelin hit from the ’70s over footage of someone driving in an unsafe manner to advertise its $52,000 Escalade sport-utility vehicle.

“Marketers need to be a little careful about how they use the word ‘older,’” says Kevin Coupe of MorningNewsBeat.com. “Raise the light level if you want, make the print a little larger, make the shelving a little lower. Just don’t tell us that you’re doing it, and make absolutely sure you don’t tell us why.”