As online retailers across industries begin preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday—two of the highest traffic days of the year—many will be hyper-focused on capturing the attention (and spending) of their younger customers. On a Cloudways, eCommerce brands gain the speed and reliability needed to stand out during these busy moments. Ecommerce trends are continuing to be driven by society’s increasingly close and constantly evolving relationship with technology. The rapid coming of age, rising purchasing power, and dominant online presence of Gen Z consumers is almost impossible to ignore.

On one hand, the rationale behind this approach is strong and fairly obvious; Gen Z consumers conduct more of their lives online than any other adult demographic, and they’ve been shown to spend at least a quarter of each day consuming digital content, whether via popular social media applications or streaming services. Moreover, industry-wide shifts in advertising and outreach strategies to better target younger consumers on these channels appear to be working, with influencer marketing now expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 31% toward a projected valuation of more than $121 billion by 2030. 

However, just because Gen Z is currently the “loudest” demographic online, doesn’t necessarily mean they should be dominating the conversation, particularly when it comes at the cost of excluding or alienating older consumers. In fact, when you consider the accelerated population growth and expanding purchasing power of consumers over 50, as well as their unique profitability and loyalty profile, it’s clear that they often represent an untapped source of potentially significant revenue growth and scalability; one that the lion’s share of online retailers continues to overlook. 

An Underserved and Under-Represented Demographic 

Modern business leaders have put in a lot of legwork in recent years when it comes to fostering diversity, inclusion and belonging, around both their products and marketing content. For example, while it was once highly uncommon for women who weren’t a certain way to appear in advertisements for beauty and fashion products, today’s ads increasingly feature women of various ethnicities, cultural backgrounds and body types. 

However, true diversity and inclusivity go beyond factors like skin color and weight, and while the progress we’ve made in those areas should be celebrated, we’ve yet to see a similarly broad and earnest effort to address the underrepresentation of older consumers that has pervaded the online retail space since its inception. 

This issue is, of course, not lost on older consumers, who continue to notice and feel impacted by both the lack of representation and the frequent use of shallow stereotypes when people their age do happen to be depicted in an advertisement. In fact, only roughly 15% of older consumers believe their age group is adequately represented in mainstream advertisements, and nearly half of American consumers over 50 feel they’re being completely ignored by online brands. Moreover, in terms of accuracy in the representation they do see, close to 70% wish that online ads featured less stereotypical and more realistic depictions of people from their generation. 

Critically, both the lack of representation and the use of inaccurate stereotypes persist even though older consumers continue to play a dominant role in the global economy and have more purchasing power than many younger demographics. More specifically, Boston Consulting Group found that consumers aged 50-70 make up around 27% of spending across 12 major markets, an economic contribution of nearly $7 trillion each year. Additionally, in the U.S., Americans over 50 continue to be the fastest growing population by a considerable margin and already account for an astonishing 65% of all household wealth, with older women being the largest and wealthiest demographic, responsible for 27% of consumer spending annually and holding more than $15 trillion in raw purchasing power. 

Accessibility and Inclusivity as a Driver of Loyalty and Growth

Beyond mere purchasing power, older consumers (30+) have also been shown to be more loyal to their favorite online brands than Gen Z consumers. And because over 50s remain so underserved across industries, simply listening to and delivering on their needs can be an incredibly powerful driver of growth and profitability. 

Take the story of Tricia Cusden, for example, who just over a decade ago launched her own makeup and skincare brand in the UK, Look Fabulous Forever (LFF), after struggling for years to find products that worked for her skin. More than not having access to makeup formulated for her physical needs, Tricia felt deeply excluded by mainstream beauty and skincare brands and, most importantly, she knew that there must be millions of other women feeling the same way. 

What Tricia and LFF have been able to accomplish in 12 years of business is nothing short of remarkable, and their success story can teach us a lot about how fostering authentic, inclusive and accessible products and experiences can help to unlock the kind of unwavering brand loyalty needed to support virtually limitless growth and scalability in a competitive market. 

To start, LFF was built on a rejection of the premise that older women and consumers aren’t as digitally mature and comfortable with online platforms and communities as other generations and demographics. According to Janis Thomas, Managing Director of LFF, a survey of the LFF customer base found that 98% frequently shop online, 88% use online banking, and 82% regularly watch movies and TV online through popular streaming services.

In other words, despite the persistence of inaccurate stereotypes, LFF operates with the knowledge that older consumers have as rich and dynamic online lives as anyone else, and they rightfully expect positive and inclusive user experiences, even beyond the product and checkout pages. 

To achieve this, LFF knew it was a matter of listening carefully to their customers and leveraging those insights to consistently improve the brand’s ability to meet their needs. For example, LFF’s official Facebook group was formed on the recognition that social media is incredibly powerful for both knowing your customers and fostering an inclusive and interactive community. In addition to facilitating organic discussions of LFF’s products, the contents of which often inform new product launches and operational shifts, the group provides the customers with a space to connect, share stories with, and seek life advice from their peers. 

Beyond social media, LFF is uniquely focused on customer service and direct interactions with consumers. With a care team created specifically to reflect the buyer, LFF customers have myriad ways to connect with the brand and speak to people who can not only resolve their issues but also understand them firsthand. 

A prime example of effective use of technology and data-driven insights in the current age of e-commerce, and particularly when it comes to collecting consumer insights and utilizing continuous feedback loops to understand and satisfy the needs of a hyper-specific demographic. 

Today, LFF continues to thrive and scale at an astonishing rate within the UK makeup and skincare markets, and while this is certainly due to the quality of their products, it’s equally attributable to the brand’s unique focus on inclusivity and accessibility. In fact, in one of their more recent quarterly surveys, 99% of customers said they appreciated Tricia’s advocacy for older women, 97% said LFF makes them feel supported to look like the best version of themselves, and 85% said that being an LFF customer has had a positive impact on their life.  

Powering Inclusive Experiences with Intelligent Automation

Heading into Black Friday and Cyber Monday, one of the most important tasks online brands must undertake is ensuring their websites are optimized from a technical perspective, not only for Gen Z customers, but for all demographics that will be flooding in and looking for a great deal. In fact, it’s crucial to remember that a success story like LFF’s can’t happen in today’s crowded online market without access to the right tools, and that there’s simply no possibility of separating inclusivity from technical performance in today’s increasingly complex digital ecosystem. 

After all, extraordinary online experiences are invariably built on a foundation of security and accessibility, which is to say there won’t be any time for effective community building, personalization, and standout service protocols if teams are constantly facing downtime and resolving logistical and technical issues. And this is why, in addition to leaning into existing cloud-based management solutions, brands are increasingly turning to emerging AI-powered tools and intelligent automation to gain the digital agility needed to meet the expectations of all audiences, particularly in high-traffic scenarios. 

Fortunately, tools like this exist within a rapidly evolving field of managed hosting services, with platforms like Cloudways Copilot and others allowing brands to more effectively and efficiently monitor and improve server and website performance with little to no human intervention. 

For example, with the right automation tools and strategies, brands can gain constant, centralized access to the insights needed to assess performance across all relevant components within their system. When something goes wrong, whether related to a disk or the broader web stack, teams can be notified immediately and provided with recommendations on how to solve the issue as quickly as possible. 

When embedded even deeper into an online retailer’s operation, AI-powered managed hosting solutions can take the above process a step further via an additional layer of intelligent automation. More specifically, instead of merely detecting and diagnosing a technical failure, an AI-powered hosting suite can be programmed to not only identify but also automatically apply the best practice solution to any relevant server issue in real time. And due to the use of underlying machine-learning algorithms, the different strategies being used and their effectiveness will continuously improve over time. 

Again, the ability to automate developer workflows and resolution strategies should be understood not as a benefit from the isolated standpoint of operational efficiency, but as a necessity to free up the time and resources needed to provide positive and accessible experiences for more than just a single demographic. Because as long as this era continues to be defined at the intersection of human diversity and digital agility, the winners of Black Friday and Cyber Monday each year won’t be those in touch with the most prominent generational trends, but rather those who recognize the need to balance inclusivity with performance at every level.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do online retailers focus so much on Gen Z for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Retailers often hyper-focus on Gen Z because they are the “loudest” demographic online and drive many new e-commerce trends. This group spends a lot of time consuming digital content and has high purchasing power. However, this focus sometimes comes at the cost of ignoring older, equally valuable consumer groups.

How much purchasing power do consumers over the age of 50 actually have?

Consumers over 50 are a dominant economic force, controlling an astonishing 65% of all household wealth in the U.S. Globally, people aged 50 to 70 contribute nearly $\text{$7}$ trillion to major markets each year. This makes them a significant, often-untapped source of scalable revenue growth for online brands.

Is it a myth that older consumers are not comfortable with shopping online?

Yes, that is a common misconception. Research shows that older adults have rich, dynamic online lives. For example, a customer survey found that 98% of consumers in this age group frequently shop online, and 88% use online banking.

How does improving website accessibility and inclusivity drive business growth?

Focusing on inclusivity for demographics like older shoppers encourages deep brand loyalty, which is more reliable than the loyalty of younger consumers. Brands that listen to and meet the needs of underserved groups can unlock virtually limitless growth. Genuine connection makes customers feel supported and seen, leading to sustained profitability.

What is “age inclusivity” in the context of e-commerce advertising and marketing?

Age inclusivity means accurately and realistically representing older consumers in marketing materials, moving past shallow stereotypes. Nearly 70% of consumers over 50 wish ads showed more realistic depictions of their generation. Brands achieve inclusivity by showing diverse, non-stereotypical older people in their campaigns.

How can a retailer use customer feedback to better serve older audiences?

Retailers should create interactive community spaces, such as dedicated social media groups, where customers can connect and share product opinions. These discussions should inform new product launches and operational changes. Establishing a dedicated customer care team that reflects this important buyer demographic also helps resolve issues quickly and build trust.

What immediate step should online retailers take to prepare their website for all demographics during peak traffic?

The most critical step is to ensure your website’s technical performance and security are flawless. You must implement intelligent automation and AI-powered hosting solutions. This digital agility makes sure everyone, from Gen Z to older shoppers, has a positive and accessible experience without facing technical issues or slow load times.

Why is technical performance just as important as the marketing strategy for an inclusive e-commerce approach?

Extraordinary online experiences are built on a foundation of security and accessibility. If your website is constantly facing downtime or technical glitches, you won’t have time to focus on community building or personalization. High technical performance is a necessity to deliver positive and accessible experiences to all audiences during high-traffic events like Black Friday.

How did the Look Fabulous Forever brand become a model for successful age inclusivity?

Look Fabulous Forever achieved success by building its brand on a careful rejection of the premise that older women are not digitally mature. They focused on delivering products formulated for the physical needs of older skin while also fostering an active online community. Their success shows that meeting a needs gap with authentic representation leads to unwavering brand loyalty.