, Columnist
Boomers Are the Next Big Consumer Culture Frontier
Companies are obsessed with the young. But older consumers are a far more lucrative market.
We’re paying.
Photographer: Boston Globe/Boston GlobeConsumer companies can cope with the baby bust. They just have to pivot to baby boomers.
Birth rates falling to historic lows across the developed world, combined with people living longer, are reshaping the global market for the things we eat, wear and put on our skin. Yet despite the fact that older people have more purchasing power, the consumer goods world is still far more obsessed with catering to the young. It’s time for manufacturers to pay more attention to the silver economy — where there’s a market for everything from food and personal care items to toys and fashion.