Which generational cohort has big middle-child energy? Enter the least discussed generation of all, born between 1965 and 1980, Gen X is dubbed “the Sandwich Generation” because they’re sandwiched between infamous baby boomers and equally infamous millennials. Gen X may be the smallest generation, but they’re actually 22 percent more likely than boomers to fall in the “high-income” segment. In fact, Gen X earned 33 percent of total U.S. income despite representing just 25 percent of the population. They’re also the fastest-growing spenders in the beauty category.
Brands and retailers can’t afford to ignore the MTV Generation, but that doesn’t stop them from trying. Gen X is rife for targeting with strategic merchandising and marketing initiatives.
Brands and retailers can’t afford to ignore the MTV Generation, but that doesn’t stop them from trying. Don’t be one of these brands and retailers that overlooks Gen X purchasing behavior. Gen X is rife for targeting with strategic merchandising and marketing initiatives. Let’s discuss how to do it.
Gen X’s Purchasing Mentality
Why is Gen X overlooked, despite their hefty aggregated incomes? One reason could be that much of their discretionary spend is already spoken for: Gen Xers often carry the financial burden of caring for their aging relatives, as well as younger dependents. They’re scrambling to put away money for retirement, as they have the lowest retirement savings of any generation. Most Gen Xers have less than 5 percent of the savings they’d need to retire comfortably. So, successfully marketing to Gen X requires an awareness of the financial pressure they’re under.
It comes as no surprise, then, that Generation X prioritizes value, but we aren’t talking about crappy products without staying power. Gen X is the most likely generation to use a price comparison website––besides their peers in China and India. Gen X is 7 percent more likely than the average consumer to research a product before buying it––but they value product quality over price alone (sorry, Temu).
That’s because these savvy consumers have been around long enough to see so many chintzy brands rise and fall and too many subpar products fall apart in their hands. As a result, their perception of a product’s value extends beyond the price tag to product functionality, durability, and longevity. They’ll pay a bit more for a product that lasts if the brand or retailer is able to justify the price.
And speaking of product quality, Gen X is still incredibly brand loyal. They came of age in the 80s heyday of legacy brands. Remember when an Adidas shirt would retain its shape through 300 washes? Remember when any shirt with the Adidas label was high quality? Gen Xers do. The “Myth of the Maxxinista” never really permeated their purchasing mentality––they expect high-quality products from well-known brands. Be forewarned: Product quality is essential and brands that license their logo to companies with subpar manufacturing processes risk alienating the Sandwich Generation.
The Adoption Gap
Remember the 90s? When malls were cultural epicenters and legacy brands operated similarly to spiritual gurus, making grandiose affirmations about fashion, beauty, and the human bodies that partake in them? Gen X does. And while few of us wish to go back to a time before #metoo and body acceptance were a thing––well, evidently half of us––brands did have an allure and reputability that’s hard to replicate in the modern retail marketplace.
Gen X consumers are still looking for that level of trust. They’re the OG (original gangster) brand loyalists; not blind to the faults and global issues of the brands they patronize but looking to build lasting relationships with authentic brands and less willing than younger generations to purchase outside of their tried-and-true brand Rolodex.
We can’t talk about how the younger generations shop without talking about the apps on which they do so: the TikTok ban, Instagram, YouTube, and burgeoning sites like RedNote, Flip, and Whatnot are the places purchases happen. This isn’t the case for Gen X. Sure, about 70 percent of them use the same platforms, but they don’t live their lives on them. That’s the differentiator.
A whopping 58 percent of Generation X are laggards or in the late majority of innovation adoption. But this isn’t because they’re dinosaurs that lack the technical acumen to post a selfie. Lumping Gen X in with boomer stereotypes (that aren’t even true for most boomers) is deeply offensive to the first folks to watch MTV and own cell phones. They aren’t boomers and their reluctance about technology is rooted in fact. Meta scandals, TikTok bans, information selling––Gen X knows all about it. They’ve seen what the fixation on technology has done to younger generations and aren’t interested in following suit.
So, while Gen X is highly aware of what’s happening in the world, they’re getting their information from CNN, thank you very much, and not Meta. While Gen X plays their current role as a life raft for aging parents and work-averse young dependents, they just want to get a product that works as well as possible, as affordably as possible, with as little BS as possible.
Transparency Is Still Key
Millennials’ lack of brand loyalty has been decried on every news channel, so it’s interesting that none of these narratives focused on celebrating Gen X. As consumers, Gen X is perhaps the least narcissistic of any generation, prioritizing providing food and necessities for their families while saving a buck or two for a retirement that may never come. You can’t market impulse buys to Gen X, but you can still build authentic relationships with them that last for life.
Brands and retailers that focus on communicating the efficacy of their products through product demo videos (with subtitles!) and customer reviews have more impact than those hawking snake oil and miracle cures on TikTok. Loyalty programs are a hard YES for Gen X customers, just make sure your store associates are trained on how to properly execute them.
Don’t forget Gen Xers when it comes to social media, just focus on demonstrating the value of the product for the price. Show Gen Xers how products work, what’s in them and why they will last. That approach will build your revenue over the long run better than the next thousand viral videos to come with an eventual post-TikTok.
About The Robin Report
The Robin Report provides insights and opinion on major topics in the retail apparel and related consumer product industries. It delivers provocative, unbiased analysis on retail, brands and consumer products, and covers industry-wide issues, trends and consumer behavior throughout the retail-related industries. TRR is delivered exclusively on TheRobinReport.com. Additionally, TRR produces executive briefings and industry events.
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