Assessing the Consumer Gap Between Baby Boomers
and Generation X
As successive generations of consumers move into the "prime shopping years," an important challenge facing retailers is to identify how the next generation of consumers may differ from the current one. Apparel spending data from the NPD Group show that the largest group of clothing buyers is between the ages of 35 and 44, for unit and dollar sales. With Generation X — consumers now aged 22 to 33 — poised to enter these prime clothes-shopping years, retailers should consider how this generation may resemble or differ from the Baby Boomers — consumers now aged 34 to 51. Findings from Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ indicate many similarities between these groups, despite obvious differences in attitudes and influences.
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| To view full-size chart, click on thumbnail image |
The most striking difference between the groups is their general approach to shopping, which has not changed since the benchmark Lifestyle Monitor survey in 1994. Nearly half of Generation X consumers buy clothes on impulse, versus planning their purchases, while only a third of Baby Boomers buy on impulse. This difference is consistent with the characterization that Gen-Xers are less patient and seek immediate gratification.
Members of Generation X may be more impulsive shoppers, but that does not mean they enjoy shopping less than Baby Boomers do. In 1998, 47% percent of Generation X consumers loved or enjoyed clothes shopping, compared with 36% of Baby Boomers. Unlike the figures for impulse shopping, these numbers have changed over a five-year period. In 1994, 58% of Gen-Xers and 49% of Baby Boomers loved or enjoyed shopping, significantly more than in 1998. Monitor data show that factors contributing to a decline in the percent of consumers, regardless of age, who love or enjoy clothes shopping include a lack of interesting and well-fitting apparel, as well as competition for the consumer’s time and money. Another similarity between the two groups is time spent in the stores. On average, both groups spend an hour and a half when shopping for apparel.
Data from the Lifestyle Monitor show that for both generations, the most important source of apparel ideas is what consumers already own and like. Store and window displays are the number two idea source for both groups. Differences between the generations are more apparent in the influence of peers, commercials, and celebrities; these sources influence significantly more Gen-Xers.
Sources of Ideas for Clothes Shopping
Percent Responding; Multiple Responses Allowed |
| Source |
Baby Boomers |
Generation X |
| What you already own and like |
52.9 |
55.3 |
| Store displays |
42.3 |
41.0 |
| Catalogs |
29.5 |
26.3 |
| People you see regularly |
27.3 |
37.0 |
| Family members |
23.1 |
25.3 |
| Commercials or ads |
20.0 |
24.3 |
| Fashion magazines |
19.4 |
22.9 |
| Sales people |
11.2 |
12.3 |
| Celebrities |
6.0 |
11.6 |
Peter Levine, Executive Creative Director of the consulting firm Desgrippes Gobe, professes an interesting model for understanding how Baby Boomers and Generation X differ in their views of career paths. Levine contends that Baby Boomers view their career path as a "staircase," with an upward progression over time in income, position, and status. Gen-Xers view their path as a "spiral" of experiences that may not always move upward towards more money, higher socioeconomic status, or the top of the corporate ladder. Can these behavioral models also help us understand the shopping behavior of these consumers? |
