Silent Generation Shopping Habits

Born between 1928 and 1945, the Silent Generation is one of the smallest generational groups, representing just over 20 million of the U.S. population. Yet, they’re the third most economically powerful generation, with more spending power per shopper than millennials and Gen Z combined. Thanks to their age and savings, these shoppers are incredibly valuable to brands, making it essential for them to understand Silent Generation shopping habits.

Attracting less digitally-inclined consumers in ecommerce can sound particularly tricky, but it’s not impossible. Data shows Silent Generation customers have clear shopping preferences, which your brand can leverage through the right tactics and an investment in a robust customer experience.

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Silent Generation Online Shopping Habits

Are shoppers of a demographic born and raised during the Great Depression and prior to World War II as open to new experiences as other generations? The answer, luckily, is yes, albeit not nearly at the rate as younger generations. A report from data analytics firm Jungle Scout shows 24% of Silent Generation shoppers exclusively shop in person, but that still leaves over three quarters who are open to shopping online. The key to earning their business is understanding why they shop online when they do, and how to position your brand as one they want to shop with.

Importance of Knowing Silent Generation Shopping Habits

Silent Generation shoppers have the economic power that makes them particularly valuable — they and baby boomers own 70% of household wealth in the United States. But attracting their business takes a commitment to speak to their specific shopping desires. Your ecommerce brand also needs to overcome barriers to earning their dollars — including simplifying the technology and terminology they’re less familiar with than younger shoppers.

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Essential Silent Generation Shopping Habits to Know

1. Desiring transparency in price and quality

Considering many grew up during the Great Depression, the Silent Generation is particularly price and value conscious. The Jungle Scout report found this demographic makes online purchases based on reading customer reviews (41%) and checking prices against competitors (38%). This approach to shopping reflects a bargain-hunting mentality, showing older shoppers are more than happy to spend time finding the value and quality they expect. Both require brands to be transparent with customers about how their products compare to similar ones.

Gladly pro tip: Your support center has a pivotal role in leaning into these preferences. With Gladly, your agents can tap into a centralized Knowledge Base, which creates an easy hub of information to reference and turn staff into product experts on your whole catalog. This knowledge helps agents provide the level of transparency that Silent Generation shoppers like to see, explaining product value and helping compare options in real time to make them feel that they’re making the most informed decision.

2. Looking for convenience in experience

When it comes to the Silent Generation vs baby boomer shopping habits, we see a key overlap in how they now continue the higher, post-pandemic trend of online shopping largely because they fall in love with convenience.

Gladly pro tip: Gladly helps you offer convenience by streamlining your support center. Our tools reduce friction in the customer experience and improve shopper satisfaction. For instance, People Match automatically connects specific shoppers to the best available agent based on their situation or shopping history. The ability to instantly connect to the same agent they know and trust appeals to those who want to get their issues solved as soon as possible.

3. Expecting optimized service beyond digital and mobile

While you should definitely allocate resources toward building a Silent Generation digital strategy, you also need to think beyond newer channels. A PwC report showed that only 6% of these shoppers purchased regularly on mobile devices, indicating a preference for more traditional shopping methods.

Gladly pro tip: Silent Generation shoppers feel more comfortable with phone or email, but you need to optimize both new and legacy channels to connect with customers however they choose to contact you. Our conversation-driven system brings together all shopper communications into one easily accessible dashboard, so agents can always access previous information and make your Silent Generation customers feel taken care of no matter what.

Gladly for Silent Generation Shopping Habits

Our multifaceted, omnichannel platform results in proven success with shoppers of any generation, the Silent Generation being no different. Through our tools, you’ll be able to adapt to the habits to develop a relationship with them.

When your brand switches to Gladly, you tap into a comprehensive, innovative solution for providing transparency and convenience in your customer experiences that help you secure this demographic.

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