Social scientists, public policy makers, consumer researchers, and marketers have traditionally focused on age‐related differences to understand the behavior of older adults. This research focuses on the processes through which adults learn behavioral patterns and norms that characterize...

States that although the concept of “stress” has received increased attention in the behavioral and social sciences throughout the past five decades, it has been virtually ignored by consumer researchers. Presents conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of stress research, which suggest...

Although older American spend increasingly large sums of money on goods and services, it is widely believed by financial service providers and retailers that these individuals make relatively little use of credit cards. Using a large national sample of respondents from different age groups,...

Based on Schiffman and Sherman’s conceptual model of the new‐age elderly this article constructs a measure that identifies this segment of elderly in terms of their value orientation. The findings show that older consumers’ value orientations are an effective segmentation approach; one...

Purpose – While the mature consumer segment (55‐and‐older) is rapidly growing in size, so too are their preferences, motives and spending patterns. The health‐care product and services industry, an industry driven by age, is no exception to the need to identify and accurately target this...

The changing demographics and the aging of the population are affecting the age composition of consumer markets. This, in turn, creates opportunities and challenges for organizations serving consumer markets. This article reviews some corporate challenges and opportunities facing the corporate...

Presents a new way of segmenting the mature market. Develops a segmentation model based on research in various disciplines and uses data from several studies to validate it. Suggests that the model is more effective than some commonly used approaches, not only in identifying prime segments for...

Factors such as retirement and declining health may trigger older Americans to move into retirement housing. Most mature consumers make this decision in consultation with their family. Understanding the timing and decision‐making process is necessary to properly position and promote retirement...

Summarizes the topics, challenges and existing knowledge on marketing to older consumers. Discussescontradictory beliefs about older consumers and how to market to them, explaining reasons for these contradictions and stereotypes. Suggests a method for aiding decision makers evaluating...