Gen X: the middle child you need to pay more attention to

There are 66 million Gen X in the US (45-60 year olds), and they make up roughly 30% of the population, but they are the biggest spenders.  

Right now, they are on track to spend 15.2 trillion dollars this year, and they are expected to remain the biggest spenders until 2033.  

Even so, brands lose sight of them – they are referred to as the forgotten generation. They are sort of like the middle child, sandwiched between the millennials and the boomers, and are often left out of things like consumer studies or brand strategies – but they shouldn’t be.  

They are the richest generation, the most "spend ready”, and exhibit the highest brand loyalty out of any other generation. It’s time you move them up to the “star child” status.   

Of course we’re not saying you shouldn’t love all your children (customers) equally, but this group deserves more attention than what they are currently getting.  

In this post we’re going to show you how your brand can give that to them, by telling you everything you need to know about this “forgotten generation”.  

Gen X stats you should know 

• Gen X currently represents about 31% of the US workforce, and hold 51% of leadership roles worldwide 

• They make on average 101K per year, but their households spend around 95K per year, surpassing every other generation in spending power 

• They only have about 40K in retirement savings, and they carry the most credit card debt out of any generation (on average 61K)  

What they’re spending their money on 

So what are these 45-60 year olds spending on? To find out, we used Soprism, an audience intelligence tool that allowed us to study Gen X  and look deeply into their social data. Specifically, we looked at what this generation showed the most interest for and what they’re willing to spend their money on.  

The Soprism report that you’ll see pictures of throughout, collected 32 million Gen X (that’s almost half of the entire Gen X US population, pulled into one study that took less than 30 minutes to run) and it analyzed their interest and behavioral data from Facebook and Instagram.  

You can run the same type of report on any audience you’re researching, just sign up for a free trial of Soprism to get started.  

The top “spend” categories Gen X show the most interest in are:  

• Travel 
  

• Home decor  

• Wine  

• Craft foods 

• Beauty
  

• Health Accessories 

Are you seeing the theme? Their spending is giving “life upgrade”. They are looking to invest more into their comfort, well-being, and personal indulgence. The kids have moved out and they are looking to enjoy the fruits of their labor, by re-doing their homes, going on vacation, and sipping on expensive wine.  

Which brands have them in their pocket? 

Now that we know which categories they spend in, let’s take a look at which brands they purchase from the most, and why.  

Travel  

*Throughout the blog, we’ll feature data like what you see above. This photo displays the top interests for Gen X in the US – the interests are in order of their selectivity score which shows how interested Gen X is in something, as compared to the general US population. So when you look at their top interest “Norwegian Cruise Line” the selectivity score of 194 tells us that Gen X in the US are 1.94 times more likely (or 94% more likely) to be interested in the “Norwegian Cruise Line” than the rest of the US population.  

Travel wise, these Gen X love to book travel through sites with reviews they can trust, like KAYAK and Expedia. Fun fact: this generation is known for doing deep research and reading lots of reviews before they buy. If you’re selling something online and you don’t share reviews, consider doing so to earn the trust of this consumer group.   

Specifically, Gen X are booking cruises but on the fancier side through Norwegian cruise line and they are splurging on stays at the Ritz-Carleton. These are likely places they passed over when they had to travel with kids, but now that it’s just them, or them and their partner, they are looking for accommodations on the fancier side.  

Can you guess where their top place of interest is right now for travel? It’s the Bahamas.

Home Decor  

Gen X are very into re-decorating and renovating their homes right now. Maybe it’s time for a refresh (a lot of them purchased their first homes in the 90’s), or now that a lot of them are empty nesters maybe they want to invest in a more luxurious living environment. Anyone move out to then have their parents to finally buy a hot tub? Mine did.  

A lot of this generation like to buy new furniture and decor from Restoration Hardware. What’s crazy about Restoration Hardware is they don’t have any social media. Another fun fact about Gen X is that they aren’t as swayed by social ads and influencers as the other generations are.  

The brands that do well with this generation are the ones that give Gen X the most positive customer experience and whose quality is high and consistent. So it doesn’t matter that Restoration Hardware doesn’t have social media, what matters is that Gen X loves the quality of their product, and enjoy their in-store and online shopping experience.  

This generation is also showing a high interest towards Zara Home, Williams-Sonoma, Crate & Barrel, HomeGoods, and West Elm.  

For the renovation side of things, they trust Lowe’s and Home Depot for the supplies.  

You see IKEA listed last here probably because, unlike the other stores, their quality usually can’t compete – and they have the reviews to prove it.  

In terms of the style of decor they like best – they show the highest interest towards “Farm House Decor”.

Wine  

Gen X are the leaders in wine and fine wine consumption, even over the Baby Boomers.  

They buy wine based on their individual preference not trends. They’ve had years of tasting wines to know what they like. Research shows that they drink as a way to relax, where as the Baby Boomers “drank to cope”.  

Their favorite wine brands include Josh Cellars, Meiomi, Kim Crawford, and Oyster Bay.  

Gen X is also a sucker for a loyalty program, which is probably why they love shopping at Total Wine & More (the largest and most profitable wine and spirits retailer in the US). Total Wine has a tiered rewards system that allows customers to unlock perks like wine classes and gift bags and they also offer birthday rewards and military discounts.  

Consider creating a loyalty program to win over Gen X, if you don’t already have one in place.  

Gen X respond to any loyalty programs that offer some type of value, it could be discounts, free shipping, referral bonuses, free samples – even a thank you email will go a long way with this consumer group.  

Craft food/condiments  

The majority of the 40-65 year olds in the US shop at Aldi and Sprouts Farmers Market (these are their top grocery stores of choice) - this makes sense because both carry the type of craft condiments and health foods Gen X are buying into right now.  

They are known for buying the brand-named items vs the store brand, and they like to support local.  

Research shows that they also gravitate towards brands that feel authentic to them, or they perceive them as having the same values as they do. Additionally, they prefer to buy from brands who are good to the environment.  

This photo is courtesy of ALDI 

Beauty  

Gen X are projected to spend 1.5 trillion dollars in beauty this year. Creams, makeup and hair care account for the majority of the spend.  

They look for simple products with proven benefits from brands like SkinCeuticals, or products that have a legacy, which is why were seeing established brands like Estée Lauder, Clinique, Olay and Clarins.    

They want something that feels luxurious but is still accessible price point wise.  

Makeup wise, they shop at Ulta Beauty, and gravitate towards Benefit Cosmetics and Urban Decay.  

If you’re a Gen Z or Millennial, then you probably find a lot of your beauty and skincare recommendations on TikTok, but when it comes to Gen X, it’s better to run things like TV ads like a lot of the legacy skincare brands still do.  

Health Technology/Accessories   

When you look at the topics that define this audience in Soprism, old age, and retirement is top of mind, and right below it is the goal of good health and well-being.  

Compared to the Baby Boomers, Gen X believes in proactively managing their health. They monitor their daily movements, and they set health goals.  

This is why we see them spending a significant amount of money on their health and health accessories. 

They are focused on lowering their cholesterol, and extending their life. If your brand sells a health accessory, touching on these two benefits could help sell your product to this generation.   

They’re fans of Fitbit, WeightWatchers, and MyFitnessPal for tracking their health journey and staying on track with their health goals.  

Where are they shopping? 

Gen X are just as likely to shop in store as they are online but the chart below (courtesy of numerator.com) shows their top retailers based on share of spend: 

Walmart comes in first place (which is likely happening in-store), then Amazon in second (which we know is happening online) - if you’re brand isn’t yet listed on either of these sites, you should ask yourself why, especially if Gen X are your core customer target.  

How do they buy?   

Like we said earlier, this generation is the most brand loyal. The issue is that they aren’t really woo-ed by promotions or influencers like the Gen Z and Millennials are. They are willing to pay for quality and reliability, BUT are looking for a brand with transparency, proven product performance, and high customer reviews.  

They do their research – they read reviews online and they are as equally likely to buy their purchase in store as they are online.  

So what does this mean for your brand? 

• Brand loyalty runs deep, so focus on quality, reliability, and transparency 

• Give them product proof before they buy through reviews  

• Have a seamless and amazing presence online and in-store  

• Loyalty programs hit home, if you don’t have one, get one 

• They have a preference for shopping local, how can you emphasize that you are a local brand or work with local brands (if this is the case) 

• Evaluate your pricing against your competitors, they do price comparisons and will likely go with the cheaper option if quality is generally the same  

• Traditional media still matters, run those TV ads if you can  

How to reach them   

Buxton's location intelligence platform tells us which Designated Market Areas (DMAs) in the U.S. have the most Gen X consumers. Each of these DMAs has more than 1 million Gen X residents: New York,  NY; Philadelphia, PA; Detroit, MI; Boston, MA; Washington DC; Atlanta, GA; Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL; Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL; and Chicago, IL. 

If you’ve been overlooking any of these areas to place a retail store, then maybe re-consider if Gen X is your target, as many Gen Xers still shop in store.  

In terms of advertising to this generation, yes they are on social media, but they prefer email, SMS and web experiences over social, so start (or narrow your focus) there.  

Our Audiense Action product (available for a free trial) allows us to collect the top 8 most prominent segments of Gen X, making them even easier to target or send right to your ad platforms to activate against.  

Here are the segments your brand should be focused on if you aren’t already:  

Download the Gen X targeting pack here, to get all these segments and directions on how to advertise to each (even send full audience lists to your ad platforms).   

You can see that Audiense Action suggests an overall marketing strategy that focuses on building familiarity and trust, and offering clear, simple value.  

In terms of messaging and offers, focus on “quality you can trust” type language, promote discounts, and mention things like convenience and reliability.  

Audiense Action even provides exact copy that will resonate with your audience, for Social, Email, and SMS:  

You can find copy that works for each segment, on each channel, by downloading the full Gen X targeting pack.  

Remember your middle child  

Gen X might be termed the forgotten generation, but if their projected spend tells us anything it’s that they are not to be ignored.  

They’re spending more than any other generation, prioritizing comfort, quality, and experiences that feel worth their investment. From luxury travel and home upgrades to beauty and health accessories, their choices show a desire to enjoy life while making practical, loyalty-driven decisions.  

For brands, the message is clear: stop overlooking this powerful consumer group and start building strategies that speak directly to their values of trust, reliability, and proven quality. 

If you’re ready to see how your brand can connect with Gen X more effectively, we can help. Sign up for a free trial of Audiense to start building better audience strategies today. And if you want to go even deeper, download the full Gen X Targeting Pack to get the segments, insights, and ready-to-activate strategies that will put your campaigns ahead of the competition.