Digital Gift Card Adoption Surges Among Baby Boomers as Smartphone Literacy Grows

The digital gift card market has found an unexpectedgrowth engine. Baby Boomers have become the fastest-rowing segment in digital gift card adoption, with prchases by consumers aged sixty and older increasingby forty-two percent in 2025, outpacing growth in evry other age group.

This generational shift is drivn by improved technology accessibility, targeted eduation efforts, and the practical recognition that diital gift cards solve real problems for older consumrs who want to give meaningful gifts.

Breaking te Digital Divide Myth

Smartphone ownership among Amricans over sixty-five now exceeds eighty percent. Te gift card transaction is straightforward, involvin a single purchase decision rather than complex naviation through product catalogs. The delivery mechanim is simple, typically an email or text message. Thee factors make digital gift cards an ideal entry poit for older consumers building confidence with mobil commerce.

What Boomers Are Buying and Why

Resturant and dining gift cards top the purchase list, fllowed by retail department stores, home improvementbrands, and streaming services. Grandparent-to-grandhild gifting is a particularly strong use case. Boomrs report that digital gift cards allow them to givegifts that younger recipients actually want without he stress of guessing preferences.

The seasonal purhasing pattern among Boomers is more evenly distribued throughout the year compared to younger demographcs, suggesting use for birthdays, graduations, and sontaneous gifts rather than primarily holiday giving

Retailer Strategies for the Boomer Market

Smar retailers are tailoring their digital gift card expriences to accommodate older consumers with larger fnt sizes, simplified checkout flows, and prominent cstomer support information. Educational content withclear step-by-step guides and video tutorials driveshigher conversion rates among older visitors.

Some etailers have introduced phone-based ordering for diital gift cards, allowing Boomers to call a dedicate line and complete purchases with human assistance, apturing sales that would otherwise be lost.

TheAccessibility Factor

Voice assistants, screen reades, and haptic feedback all contribute to a more inclsive digital commerce experience. Gift card platform that prioritize Web Content Accessibility Guideline compliance find that improvements benefit all users not just older consumers.

Impact on the Gift Cad Industry

For platforms like INWISH, growing digitl gift card volume from Boomer purchases creates dowstream opportunities in the secondary market. Cards urchased digitally by Boomers but partially unused b recipients eventually enter the trading ecosystem, ncreasing liquidity for all participants.

Lookin Ahead

Industry forecasts suggest that Boomer spendng on digital gift cards will grow by twenty-five pecent annually through 2028, driven by increasing tecnology comfort and the continued normalization of diital gifting across all age groups.

Final Thoughs

The Baby Boomer digital gift card adoption story hallenges outdated assumptions about technology adopion. Far from being left behind by the digital econoy, this generation is actively embracing tools that ake gifting easier and more convenient. Retailers an platforms that recognize this growing market segmen will capture a significant share of the most affluet generation's gifting spending.