The Rise in
Digital Adoption
Among Baby
Boomers

Contents
Introduction

3

Similarities and differences among baby boomers and younger generations

4

How boomers use technology to meet their needs

6

Curbside

7

Digital health10

Retail and restaurants

14

Digital banking

17

Final thoughts: The future is digital for boomers & non-boomers

20

The future is here. Are you ready?

21

About Mobiquity

25

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

2

Introduction
Consumer engagement with digital technology has changed drastically due to COVID-19. Some consider baby boomers
less digitally savvy than younger generations, but is this true?
Mobiquity had an assumption that the digital curve flattened as a result of COVID-19, especially because boomers,
who are among the most vulnerable, seem to have a vested interest in the safety advantages that technology can offer.
We wanted to put our hypothesis to the test, so we surveyed a group of 253 baby boomers to showcase the trends
happening in digital as a result of this “new normal.” To make the picture even clearer, we also surveyed 349 nonboomers about their behaviors to see how different or similar baby boomers are when it comes to technology, both
before the pandemic and after.
Here’s a sampling of what we found:Curbside
Adoption of technology to order and pick up groceries saw some of the biggest increases
in usage. An increase of 431% is surprising but also understandable given these tasks are anecessity for all boomers.

Digital health
Before COVID-19, only 10% of boomers had used telemedicine. This increased to 48% after the
pandemic began - a 469% increase in telemedicine utilization.

Retail and restaurants
Boomers use of curbside pick up at restaurants has increased 300% with ordering becoming, byfar, the most important element of a mobile app.

Digital banking
Boomers were overall less likely to have been using digital channels to make decisions andresolve issues before COVID but saw greater increases in their likelihood to engage digitallywith websites, chatbots, and apps to accomplish these activities once the pandemic began - anuptick of 9% (from 62% before COVID-19).

We hope our findings will help you define or refine your 2021 digital strategy as you begin to assess how to create thebest possible experiences for all of your customers.
Let’s dive into the research!

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

3

Similarities anddifferences among
baby boomers
and younger
generations

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

4

Technology saves the day! There’s almost universal agreement among all age groups that technology is helping themthrough the challenges of COVID-19. Eighty-eight percent of baby boomers agreed that technology helped them during
COVID-19 - this is only 3% lower than agreement among younger generations.
But while boomers find the tech helpful, they do feel slightly less comfortable actually using it. Among questions aboutease when it comes to using technology, baby boomers and their younger counterparts were the most divided on how
much they enjoy trying new technologies. Some boomers indicated that actually engaging with technology is more like achore. This could be a key opportunity for differentiation - how could you make your digital touchpoints more frictionlessand fun for all age groups to increase loyalty?

100%

80%

60%

+11%

+9%
80%

+10%
72%

77%

+8%
78%

+7%
85%

40%

20%

0%
Enjoy trying newteachnologies

Use more digitaltechnology toaccomplish dailytasks than theywould have if the
COVID-19 pandemic
hadn’t happened

Feel comfortable
and confident using
new technologies

Feel safe andsecure using newtechnologies

Boomers

Wish morebusinesses had
digital options
available
Non-boomers

The biggest difference overall in attitudes between boomers andyounger generations centered around doing business digitally
versus with human interaction. While the majority of boomers
preferred in-person interactions, non-boomers preferred digital
engagement. Fifty-five percent of boomers would prefer to dobusiness in person, 72% of non-boomers prefer digital businessinteractions. As social distancing continues, it’s important toconsider safe ways to satisfy both groups.

55% of boomers and 28% of non-boomers
would prefer to do business in person

For example, curbside delivery programs have become incredibly valuable for businesses and consumers alike,
especially as the world navigates the pandemic. For many companies, curbside mobile apps have helped keep theirbusinesses afloat during a period where many people are reluctant to leave their homes, let alone step inside of arestaurant, grocery store, or retail outlet. But while the majority of the world was able to fall back on digital solutions to
get their groceries, order dinner, and stock up on household goods like toilet paper, some people still struggle to use
their phone or a mobile app and may be forced to venture out to a store (even if they don’t want to for health and safety
reasons). As a result, forward-thinking companies are considering how they can introduce hybrid solutions, such as
curbside concierge, to help technology laggards become more comfortable with digital, while also keeping all of theircustomers safe. Consider the ways that you can delight users, regardless of where they are on the digital curve.

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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How boomers
use technology tomeet their needs
In this section, we’ll explore how boomers
have used technology to meet their needs.
We’ll uncover how their habits have changed
with curbside, digital medicine, retailers andrestaurants, and digital banking.

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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Curbside

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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Baby boomers have enthusiastically adopted curbside across their daily lives. This was an area where we saw the mostconsistent change in their behaviors. Boomers have largely increased their use of curbside compared to their pre-COVID
habits, even more so than non-boomers.

Increase in Curbside Usage
500%

400%

431%

410%

Boomers% Change

300%

300%

Non-boomer% Change

200%

100%

169%

195%

151%

0%
Using curbside pickup
at a grocery store

Using curbside pickup
at a retailer

Using curbside pickup
at a restaurant

This increase is partially due to the fact that curbside was an emerging trend in early 2020, expected to rise in importancewith consumers over the coming years. While not all retailers and restaurants had this service in place before COVID-19
began, the ones who did benefited greatly early in the pandemic. Walmart, for example, launched their curbside service atthe beginning of 2020, promoting it heavily during the Super Bowl. And at the close of Q2, the retailer had already reported
a 97% increase in its U.S. e-commerce sales (the area of business where curbside sales are recorded). Walmart also
indicated that they had to increase the number of timeslots that they offer by 30% since the pandemic began in order toaccommodate increased demand.
Curbside options offer a “phygital” blend of human interaction and digital convenience, which can make it appealing
regardless of customer preference for either digital or in-person interactions.

“[I] ordered groceries for curbside pickup. [The] female store picker was courteous, friendly
and grateful to be working. Her cheer encouraged me.”Male survey respondent, 56+

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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Looking at the benefits of curbside specifically, we can see clearly how this technology is a game changer for boomers
and why it’s become so popular, so quickly. Some of the key benefits customers share include:•

Those with disabilities have an easier time having their•items delivered to them, rather than getting out of the car.

••

As a vulnerable population, curbside helps them avoid

Non-retired boomers need quick and easy mealand coffee solutions on the go.

•

Like other generations, curbside helps whenunnecessary contact.

traveling with pets, especially in the hot summer

Boomers providing care for grandchildren can benefit

when it’s not safe to leave them alone in the car.

from not having to get kids in and out of cars/car seats.

“Demand for curbside service has been slowly rising for many years but COVID-19 has
accelerated that demand. Now, a basic curbside experience is no longer sufficient.
Curbside programs need to do so much more, from telling a customer when an item is outof stock to personalizing the in-app experience for easy re-ordering, and even empowering
their customer support teams to quickly find the correct car. These features andfunctionalities make the best curbside apps because they truly help both the company’s
associates and their clients who have become dependent upon this critical service.”
Dominick Profico
Chief Technology Officer, Mobiquity

Putting a curbside program in place can elevate yourcompany and help win over customers, so why wait?

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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Digital
healthThe Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

10

With the pandemic leaving baby boomers vulnerable, the shift to digital healthcare has been swift. Attending
telemedicine appointments was the category where boomers changed their behavior the most. Before COVID-19, only
10% had used telemedicine, and this increased to 48% after the pandemic began - a 469% increase in telemedicine
utilization! Many participants expressed a desire to continue to use telemedicine into the future.

“[Attending a] non-emergency medical doctor appt via telemedicine... I think is atremendous way to better manage time and money.”
Female respondent, 56+

Utilizing curbside pickup for medications has also increased greatly, with participants excited by both the ease of getting
their medications and also the safety benefits of not having to go into the store. Limiting the handling of their credit cardby instead using an app to pre-pay for their items was also a benefit.

Routine Healthcare Tasks
80%

60%

8%

64%

48%

40%

469%
increase

19%
20%

20%

10%

0%
Accessing digital healthrecords

Curbside pickup of medicine

Boomer Usage Pre-COVID

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers

Telemedicine - attending avirtual doctor’s appointment
New Usage© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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When it comes to smart devices, however, boomers have been less likely to adopt technology than their younger
counterparts. While boomers were already somewhat engaged in using smart technology before COVID, their nonboomer peers showed both higher pre-COVID usage of smart watches (52%) and other non-wearable devices (35%),
and also greater increases in usage of both (39% and 62%, respectively).

50%

40%

4%
38%

6%

30%

30%
20%

10%

0%
Using a smartwatch/wearable device tomonitor my health (AppleWatch, FitBit, etc.)

Using a non-wearable smart device to monitor
my health (smart scale, connected bloodpreassure cuff, etc.)

Boomer Usage Pre-COVID

New Usage

With more than 8.4 billion connected devices representing an investment in the IoT of approximately $737 billion,
companies and consumers are at a turning point in healthcare.
Digital tools and resources have the potential to make the entire healthcare continuum easier and more accessible forall stakeholders – patients, providers, payers, pharmaceutical companies, and more and the steady growth in consumer
adoption shows that the time is right to consider the implications for your business. The strategy that you create is key.
Here are some considerations if you’re looking to get started.

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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Finally, when we look at custom applications, we see that boomers are quite comfortable using mobile apps to manage
their health and have engaged with this tool even more since COVID began. Also worth noting: a small but fast-growing
group are using voice skills to improve their health.

Apps and Voice Skills to Manage Health
60%

14%
40%

40%

20%

9%

147%
increase

6%0%Using a digital app designed to improvemy health
Boomer Usage Pre-COVID

Using a voice skill that is designed to improvemy health
New Usage“The increase in digital technology usage has led healthcare and life scienceorganizations, such as healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies, to become
increasingly aware of the first impression that they make on their patients. In the postCOVID world, organizations need to think about patient centricity, personalization, and thepatient experience. For many patients, this will be their first time using digital channels forhealthcare. Whether patients are engaging on their mobile phone, laptop, or connected
devices, organizations need to take a deeper look at their digital front door. The digital
front door is the entryway for patients using digital technology and special attention
needs to be invested in the optimization of these channels in order to maximize patientengagement.”
Steve LoSardo
VP, Healthcare Solutions, Mobiquity

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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Retail andrestaurants

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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Dining or shopping at physical brick-and-mortar locations may have decreased since COVID, but digital technology
has helped businesses stay afloat. Rapid user adoption of this technology has changed the game, especially because
groups, such as the baby-boomer generation, have also embraced these technologies thanks to the safety andconvenience that they offer.
Adoption of technology to order and pick up groceries saw some of the biggest increases in usage, which makes sense
because these tasks are a necessity for all boomers.

Boomer Usage Pre-COVID and New Usage
50%

40%

31%
193%
increase

30%

27%
431%
increase

20%

10%

16%
6%

0%
Ordering groceries online or with a mobile app
Boomer Usage Pre-COVID

Using curbside pickup at a grocery store
New Usage“Now more than ever, companies need to think about their customers’ unmet needs. How
are you going to make their lives easier with tools and resources that your customers
didn’t even know they needed? This is the type of thinking and innovation that really sets
one company apart from its competition.”
Mike Welsh
Chief Creative Officer at Mobiquity

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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More Boomers were using technology in retail before the onset of COVID-19, while restaurants saw a bigger
increase in technology usage. In both retail and restaurant settings, we saw triple digit increases in curbside usage
pre and post COVID.

Restaurant Tech Behavior Changes
80%

60%

21%

40%

45%

38%

52%
300%
increase

40%

20%

17%

0%
Ordering delivery from a
restaurant via a website ormobile app

Ordering takeout from a
restaurant for pickup via a
website or mobile app

Using curbside pickup at arestaurant“There’s been a really dramatic increase in reviews from people saying this is the first timethey’ve downloaded an app to order food online. Typically, the first people to use an app arethe ‘early adopters,’ the next group ‘early majority,’ then ‘late majority,’ and finally ‘laggards.’
Mobile ordering had gotten to the late majority, and the laggards were coming along slowly
but surely. Usually this kind of adoption from people along the digital spectrum takes years
and years. And for the laggards to adopt so quickly, we’ve never seen anything like it.”
Brian Levine
VP of Strategy, Mobiquity

Retail Changes
80%

13%

60%

65%

14%
59%

40%

34%

20%

431%
increase

8%0%
Checking on the status of anorder via mobile app

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers

Using a store’s retail app
to shop (i.e. Target app,
Walmart app, etc.)

Using curbside pickup at aretailer© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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Digitalbanking

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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As the most affluent generation, baby boomers are a customer segment that banks can’t afford to ignore.

Baby Boomers

50%

Generation X

37%

Millennials

14%$500k 37%
Nearly one in five Boomers

37% of this generation

According to Gallup, half of Boomers report overare much more affluent,report having $50,000+$100,000 in investable personal assets versus 37% ofwith north of $500,000 intucked away at their

Gen Xers and 14% of Millennials.

investable assets.

bank.

Unlike some other digital habits we analyzed, boomers were already conducting traditional banking activities digitally
pre-COVID, and they elevated this behavior once the pandemic began.

Traditional Banking Activities
100%

80%

Pre-COVID Usage

6%
89%

7%
80%

6%
78%

60%

8%
69%

New Usage

8%
56%

40%

20%

0%
Viewing accountbalance online

Transferring funds
between accounts
onlineThe Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers

Using online bill pay
through my bankAccessing accounts
via mobile app

Mobile deposit© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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Boomers were overall less likely to have been using digital channels to make decisions and resolve issues before COVID
but saw greater increases in their likelihood to engage digitally with websites, chatbots, and apps to accomplish these
activities once the pandemic began.

Using Online Tools for Customer Service
80%

60%

9%
62%

40%

13%

Pre-COVID
Usage

55%

New Usage
20%

0%
Resolving issues digitally (through website,
chatbot app, etc.)

Using only online/digital information to make adecision about using a banking product(no human intercation)

Among all of the banking activities we reviewed, the boomer generation has been slower to adapt to digital moneytransfer and digital payment versus younger generations.

Digital Payments and Money Transfer
60%

9%

40%

Pre-COVID
Usage

45%

7%
44%

Making digital payments via Apple Pay or similar

Transferring money via Venmo or similar

New Usage

20%

0%“Banks have a unique opportunity to facilitate the type of experience that they want to ignite
in their baby boomer customers. If boomers are less likely to digitally transfer money, whattools can you create instead to enable them to pay their bills or send birthday money to their
grandkids without the need to step foot in the bank branch? Just imagine how far you would
stand out if you introduced something that changed the banking game for this generation.
Matt Williamson
VP, Financial Services, Mobiquity

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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Final thoughts:
The future is digitalfor boomers &non-boomers
Why is it important to understand all of these
post-COVID changes? Because both boomers
and their non-boomer counterparts say thatthe shift to digital will remain permanent evenafter the pandemic has passed. Eighty-eightpercent of Boomers agreed that they willcontinue to use digital technology to makedaily life easier once the COVID-19 pandemic
has resolved. This was only slightly less than
the 90% of non-boomers who agreed with thisstatement.
Our research proves that customers acrossgenerations are increasingly comfortableusing technology in their daily lives.
They’ve come to expect seamless digital
engagements and will reward the businesses
and providers who meet their expectations
with their loyalty.

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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The future is here.
Are you ready?
When you’re ready to have a conversation
about improving your contactless customer
experience for all generations, let’s talk.
Mobiquity has a wealth of experience helping
businesses in your position, regardlessof where you are on the path to digitaltransformation.

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

21

Our offerings

Curbside pickup and delivery

Digital banking

Businesses that are looking to deliver greater speed

Digital banking has been on the rise for over 10 years,

and convenience have several ways to improve theirand COVID-19 has accelerated this trend even more,experience, and pairing curbside pickup with a mobile

with a reported 200% increase in new mobile banking

app is an effective new way to drive profits andusers this year. How will you elevate your program?

customer loyalty.
Learn more

Learn more

Contactless payments

Cloud migration and development

Enabling touchless payment is a key component

Scalability, accessibility, and flexibility are core drivers

to ensuring a completely contactless customerof cloud adoption. But no benefit is as important as

experience. According to Mastercard, 51% ofcost reduction. To enjoy the benefit of cost-takeout,

Americans use contactless payments. Another reportcompanies need to push through the “last mile” ofnoted that 49 countries have announced contactlesstheir modernization process: by refactoring apps in apayment transaction limit increases, ranging fromserverless environment.

25% to 400%. Now that customers have become
comfortable with contactless payments, they love

Learn more

the convenience that it offers; are you making theirexperience easier with this technology?
Learn more

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

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Digital onboarding

Digital health

For many businesses, it has become increasingly

The healthcare and life sciences industry isimportant to adopt methods of facilitating businessexperiencing challenges like never before. In addition

without face-to-face contact. Often, identity verification

to the monumental task of developing life-saving

is a crucial part of completing a sale, but it’s a difficult

treatments, leaders are also responsible for updating

step to complete without human interaction. Electronic

analog processes to digital ones. The vast number

Know Your Customer (eKYC) technology can be theof touchpoints and data sources that clinicians andsolution businesses are looking for, enabling customers

pharma leaders interact with, however, makes theto utilize their smartphones to verify pertinent

process particularly difficult. Whether you are justinformation like name and age.

getting started or working with a model that has been

Learn morearound for decades, Mobiquity can help.
Learn more

Contactless experiences

Loyalty & rewards programs

As retail brands shift their business models toWith a drastic uptick in mobile app usage, our researchaccommodate the changing economic climate,found that one-third to one-half of these users aren’t

contactless customer experiences need to be at thesatisfied with their mobile options. Companies needcenter of their digital strategies. Why? People want toto identify the areas of friction in their own platforms,

know that their retail needs can be fulfilled in a safe,or learn from the mistakes of others, to grow theirclean, reliable, and convenient manner. Enabling abusinesses into the future. Now is the time to double

contactless process from order and payment to pickup

down on this effort by creating a loyalty app that builds

or delivery will be key to customer satisfaction andon the relationship that you have with consumers, but inloyalty.

a digital way.

Learn more

Learn more

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

23

Check out the work we’ve done
Wawa

Vomar

After working with Mobiquity on their incredibly

Mobiquity worked with this privately owned Dutch

successful first mobile app, Wawa, the beloved

discount supermarket chain because its customers

regional chain of convenience stores and gas

were increasingly moving away from in-store shopping

stations, reengaged Mobiquity to evolve its Orderas online grocers and other non-traditional players

Ahead application to align it more with Wawa’s brandentered the market to satisfy their desires. Mobiquity

standards. Customer experience is the foundation ofdesigned and built the Home Shopping Platform (HSP),

Wawa’s culture, so a user-friendly journey through ordera centralized platform for all aspects of the e-commerceplacement, payment and pickup of fresh, fast food wasexperience - from product and offer management toa must, as was ensuring the app both looked and felt

analytics and order fulfillment- and home delivery via

like a true extension of the Wawa brand that so many

Vomar’s own fleet of vans. The HSP integrates withknow and love. In 2020, Wawa reengaged Mobiquity

Vomar’s existing front- and back-end IT environments

to evolve its app, introducing a best-in-class curbsideand is fed with data from its current systems, accelerating

pickup program that improved customer experience,time to market and ensuring that Vomar’s digital

operational performance, and overall convenience.

experience and in-store experience seamlessly connect.

ila Bank

A1Control

With over 100 million millennials and tech-savvy

Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in theyoung people in the Middle East, where over 50% ofworld and costs $300B per year in the U.S. alone. Despitebusiness owners are under the age of 35, Bank ABC

tremendous advances and increased access to diabetes

saw the need to give this generation of consumers antechnologies like insulin pumps and continuous glucose

easier way to manage their finances. The idea was tomonitoring systems, most people with diabetes are notcreate an entirely new, fully digital banking solution. In

meeting their health targets and are therefore more atpartnership with Bank ABC, Mobiquity proudly built

risk of developing significant complications. While high-the first cloud-based, digital bank in the Middle East toquality diabetes education can improve outcomes, today’s

meet the ongoing demand from its growing population

diabetes technology education is outdated and inaccessibleof young people. The ila team’s focus was always about

to most Americans, while also being very expensive.

creating a customer-centric solution that would help

A1Control leveraged the Mobiquity team to develop apeople with their entire financial health, going beyond

mobile/web application, allowing for anywhere, anytime

banking.

access that incorporated an AWS Sumerian to provide avirtual environment for interactivity and ease of use.

What are you waiting for? Get started on the path to a better digital
experience for your customers today. Contact Mobiquity

The Rise in Digital Adoption Among Baby Boomers© 2020 Mobiquity | All Rights Reserved.

24AboutMobiquity
Mobiquity is a digital consultancy that partners withthe world’s leading brands to design and delivercompelling digital products and services for theircustomers. Its approach balances human needs
with usefully applied technology, unbound creativity
with research and analytics, and agile developmentwith strict engineering and security standards.
Mobiquity’s end-to-end services consider every
dimension of a digital business from marketing
to IT, providing strategy, experience design,
product engineering, cloud services, and analytics.
Mobiquity is an AWS Partner Network (APN) Premier
Consulting Partner and has worked with AWS since2011 to deliver 100% cloud-based innovation to its
clients.
To learn more, visit www.mobiquity.com.

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