New GfK insights show that Generation Y (ages 29 to 38) is taking the lead in adopting smartphones for shopping in the US, while Baby Boomers (ages 54 to 72) are much more likely to use a home PC or laptop. In addition, Generations Y and Z (ages 19 to 28) in the US are more likely to see the benefits of mobile payment systems.

But the generations are strikingly alike in fearing that their personal information could be compromised when making mobile payments; on average, 6 in 10 US shoppers report this concern. 

The latest annual report in GfK’s FutureBuy® series paints a stark picture of the generational differences in US digital shopping preferences. While 73% of Gen Y reports using a smartphone for shopping within the past 6 months, the figure for Boomers is just 33%. Generation X (ages 39 to 53) – less edgy than Gen Y but still more digital than Boomers – registers at 59%. (See Table 1.)

Table 1. US device usage for shopping, by generation

Past 6 months

The same hierarchy holds for tablets, with 35% of Gen Y using them for shopping in the past 6 months, compared to 22% of Boomers and 29% of Gen X.

Not surprisingly, US Boomers rank highest in shopping on home PCs and laptops; roughly eight in 10 (79%) report shopping on a traditional home computer, versus 59% for Gen Y and 69% of Gen X.

Younger shoppers also show much more enthusiasm for mobile payments. More than half of Generations Y and Z say they see mobile payments as easier, faster and more efficient – 15 to 20 percentage points above the US averages. (See Table 2.) Boomers, on the other hand, are substantially below average in all three metrics, with Gen X again ranking somewhere in between – at or near the average.

Table 2. US mobile payments attitudes

	Avg.	Gen Z	Gen Y	Gen X	Boomers
Prefer to pay with mobile device	30%	49%	48%	28%	11%
Mobile payments easier than other methods	37%	56%	58%	37%	17%
Mobile payments faster than other methods	40%	58%	58%	44%	18%
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