One-size-fits-none: Creating personalized solutions for tech savvy boomers

One of the biggest impacts of technology among a potentially unexpected group of consumers is its ability to empower baby boomers to be independent for longer, according to Pfizer Consumer Healthcare senior director disruptive innovation wellness Rimma Fehling. Baby boomers are becoming the beneficiaries of extended independence as the result of technological advances that can cover physical distance with technological solutions.

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“As they’re getting older, they don’t feel as much need to move into a community of seniors or move close to their family,” Fehling said. “They’re connected digitally; they’re able to form that community virtually, and as a result they’re living longer at home.”



As they age, Fehling said these consumers will change their shopping behaviors, setting the stage for retailers to tailor their solutions to their needs as they come to expect personalization that comes with increased tech savvy and awareness of what retailers can provide — something Walmart, with its vast amount of shopper data, is able to do.



“[Technology] ... changes the mind-set of how people want to live, want to shop and want to engage. ... The one-size-fits-all solution doesn’t work anymore,” she said. “A huge piece of the omnichannel experience is figuring out what to deliver in store and what to then bring back to the consumer’s home.” As a result, Fehling said, the question then becomes, “how do you take that wealth of information that [the retailer] has and ... create a real, personalized solution?”