The first ad Kerry Johnson noticed when she turned 50 this year wasn’t for birthday freebies, store discounts or last-minute getaways. It was for a medical alert device.
“I’m getting my Life Alert phone calls, and our generation — we’re not that old,” said Ms. Johnson, a senior vice president at a communications firm who splits her time between Oregon and New York. “They’re still targeting us like we’re two feet into the retirement community.”
As the biggest shopping season of the year kicks into gear, Ms. Johnson keeps scanning for something that feels aimed at Generation X-ers like herself. But she has noticed that ads seem to focus on everyone but her generation.
Her experience reflects what many Gen X shoppers are seeing: Many retailers and marketers are looking past them and to millennials and Gen Z, especially as malls continue to empty out and more shopping moves online.
This oversight is especially strange because more members of Gen X, who are ages 45 to 60, expect to overspend this holiday season (72 percent) than do millennials and Gen Z-ers, according to a TD Bank report.
And their buying power covers multiple generations. Many are caring for aging parents while supporting adult children who have returned home. They are also buying gifts for grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Ms. Johnson’s holiday budget continues to increase as her children get older and want more expensive items such as electronics. Last year, she spent up to $5,000 on holiday gifts and vacations; this year, she plans to spend close to that or more.
Yet retailers appear more focused on younger shoppers because of their influence and bigger demographic. As of Tuesday, 290 transcripts of earnings calls and other events by U.S. public companies this year included a mention of Gen Z. By comparison, 41 contained a mention of Gen X, according to AlphaSense, an artificial intelligence research company. Only 5 percent of brand influencer spending is targeted to Gen X, even though 92 percent of Gen X-ers use social media daily and 28 percent of TikTok’s user base is Gen X, according to a report by the retail organization ICSC.
Gen X, it seems, is slipping into the role of the “forgotten generation.”
“Other than the occasional 1980s-reminiscing film, you don’t hear a lot talked about in this generation,” said Tom McGee, the president and chief executive of ICSC, who is a Gen X-er. “So I think we’re forgotten about, and we’d like to be acknowledged.”
Some generational and retail experts say the reasons are more statistical than personal. Gen X is smaller than younger generations. And the household situations of Gen X-ers vary, making it “difficult” to target them, Mr. McGee said. Some are raising teenagers, some are empty nesters and some are caring for aging parents, not to mention the different relationship statuses (divorced, married or single).
Overlooking Gen X could be a costly mistake for retailers, said Jason Dorsey, a generational researcher and co-author of the book “Zconomy.” A vast wealth transfer to Gen X is expected over the next decade, averaging $1.4 trillion annually in inherited assets, according to a study by Cerulli Associates, a financial research firm. The generation is also known for its unusually strong brand loyalty, especially when an advertisement taps into nostalgia, Mr. Dorsey added.
“In many ways, Gen X is sort of like the glue within the consumer spectrum,” he said. “They’re between everybody, and they actually do touch and influence all of the generations, both older and younger, which is pretty unusual.”
And despite higher prices, Gen X-ers are planning to give expensive holiday gifts, including some around events and vacations. Around 36 percent of Gen X-ers plan to give experience-based gifts this year, according to TD Bank’s report.
This rings true for Julie Murphy, a 53-year-old lawyer who lives in Holliston, Mass. Over the years, she has favored giving gifts such as Disney vacations, Broadway shows and cash toward plane tickets because she values shared moments.
Ms. Murphy’s generosity extends beyond her immediate family and other relatives to their partners. This year, inspired by an ad, she bought tickets to “Disney on Ice” for her nephew and his wife — something she thought wasn’t suited for her but perfect for them. She has paid a little more than $1,000 in the past few years for these gifts and plans to continue doing so despite rising costs.
The “Disney on Ice” ad has made Ms. Murphy question whether her generation even matters in the holiday shopping landscape.
“I get hundreds of junk emails a day, and there’s nothing in my inbox that feels like ‘Oh, they want my business,’” Ms. Murphy said. “I don’t think I’m getting much marketing this holiday season.”
Beth Peters, 46, has continued a more-than-two-decade tradition of shopping in stores on Black Friday, often with her mother-in-law during Thanksgiving visits to Toledo, Ohio. As a Gen X-er who grew up lingering in malls, she enjoys the nostalgia associated with in-store holiday shopping and making it a day full of events. She has noticed that her generation continues to shop in stores, in contrast to younger generations like her Gen Z children, who favor online convenience.
“We are nostalgic and like the things that appeal to us that are things from our childhood,” said Ms. Peters, a middle school instructional coach and high school softball coach in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Ms. Johnson hopes a brand will create something that feels like it’s truly for her, not just a gift that’s for someone else or that makes Gen X-ers feel like “we are ‘The Golden Girls.’”
“We’re still shaping culture, still young enough to be won over by a brand that cares to do so,” she said. “I think they’re missing out on a huge win with Gen X.”
Kailyn Rhone is a Times business reporter and the 2025 David Carr fellow.
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