According to a recent McKinsey survey of U.S. retail workers, a lack of supportive colleagues was the leading cause of attrition for those 45 and older while ranking as the eighth most important factor for those under 35. Should retention efforts differ significantly for older retail workers versus younger ones?

Public interests groups are taking aim at digital couponing, saying that the practice is discriminatory insofar as the less tech-savvy consequently pay more. Do you think it is accurate to say that digital coupons discriminate against some demographics?

Dove and Wendy’s in Canada have both launched campaigns against ageism in support of a beloved Canadian news anchor who was relieved of her duties, allegedly for letting her hair go gray.  Do you see Dove and Wendy’s recent campaigns around ageism as timely, opportunistic or risky?

A recent opinion column from AARP Media noted that though the over-50 crowd buys 54 percent of all groceries in the U.S., older consumers remain “often-overlooked” by food marketers.  Do you agree that grocers and food brands are missing opportunities to capture a greater share of purchases made by Americans 50+?

Many grocers find numerous advantages in emphasizing digital coupons. The digital shift, however, may be limiting access to coupons to technologically-challenged older and lower-income Americans. Do you agree that digital-only coupons are discriminatory against the elderly and lower-income households?

Senior influencers — nicknamed “granfluencers” — continue to earn heaps of media coverage, possibly offering brands opportunities to reach older and younger social media users. Do elder social media influencers offer big opportunities for brands to reach older consumers?

Lowe’s recently formed a two-year partnership with AARP to provide strategies and information for older adults aging in their homes. Do you see a focus on home improvement strategies, materials and information for older adults aging in place as the right move for Lowe’s to make?

Many older consumers have discovered and embraced digital communications and online shopping during the pandemic, but the onboarding experience for many hasn’t been a walk in the park. Are website redesigns, onboarding tutorials or other steps necessary and practical to improve the online experience for older Americans?

CVS recently announced the rollout of a medical alert system to meet senior customers’ healthcare needs in their homes. Do you think CVS and other retail pharmacies will succeed with in home tech services?

Many older consumers — albeit for safety reasons — are at last discovering and helping drive the shift to online spending, digital engagement and omnichannel adventures. . Do the findings cited in the article match your experience of how various generations are coping with COVID-19?

Older consumers, forced to shop online in response to COVID-19, are expected to drive e-commerce growth in the short- to medium-term, predicts a new study. What’s the likelihood that the majority of older consumers will largely return to their old purchasing habits once the crisis is over?

Walmart, which has offered a “senior shopping event” every Tuesday since March 24, announced yesterday that it is going to add a daily pickup hour for vulnerable shoppers at select locations. What strain will Walmart’s designated daily pickup hour put on its store-level and supply chain operations in the locations where it is available?

The list of retailers that have instituted senior shopping hours has continued to grow along with the number of COVID-19 cases reported. What is your assessment of how retailers are addressing the needs of the most at-risk customers during the coronavirus outbreak?

Scenes of panic buying in grocery stores have become a fixture of daily life in the midst of the global coronavirus outbreak. For the elderly, navigating such instances can be uncomfortable, difficult and even dangerous. Should other American retailers set aside specific hours for the elderly and disabled to shop?

The phrase “OK Boomer” comes from Gen-Zers posting it on TikTok, and Twitter as a retort to older generations being condescending to them. It becomes controversial when used to call out Boomers’ responsibility for Gen-Z’s sizable economic hurdles. How open should retailers be to selling merchandise featuring the “OK Boomer” phrase?

For all the talk about the changing consumer behavior, it turns out that Millennials aren’t all that much different than past generations. They just don’t have as much disposable income. What do you see as the most significant changes in consumer behavior over the past 10 to 20 years in the U.S.?

McDonald’s, which often promotes itself as “America’s best first job,” has formed a partnership with AARP to hire more workers over the age of 50. Do you see more pros than cons for retailers and food establishments in hiring a greater percentage of older workers?

While most retailers seem to be obsessed with finding ways to attract younger consumers, others such as Best Buy see business opportunities in catering to the needs of the nation’s senior citizens. How do you expect Best Buy’s senior focus to affect its results over the long-term?

Best Buy is now offering smart home consultations and installations geared towards adults acting as caretakers for elderly parents. Does targeting a specific niche of smart home services put Best Buy ahead of Amazon in its efforts to offer smart home installation?

Walgreens has managed to leverage its mobile app to encourage usage from a generation that is elusive for many retailers: the 55-and-up crowd. What do you think are the main challenges for older consumers who use retailer apps?

Generational differences may play a larger role in attitudes toward digital innovations than company executives originally thought, according to research from the IBM Institute for Business Value. Is mobile engagement and commerce being lost on Baby Boomers?

A university study from the U.K. recommends that grocers establish a slow checkout lane to improve the shopping experience for the elderly. What are the pros and cons of offering slow checkout lanes for the elderly?

Boomers, long showered with affection by marketers, are feeling overlooked and under-rewarded by retailers, according to a survey from ICLP, the loyalty marketing agency. Is it wise for retailers and brand marketers to shower more attention on younger generations than Boomers?

The latest generation of senior citizens, increasingly consisting of retiring boomers, is proving to be healthier and wealthier than their predecessors. Much like Millennials, however, seniors are gravitating towards spending on experiences rather than on material goods. How are the needs and desires of retiring boomers altering sales opportunities for retailers?

According to a new study, wearables aren’t trending upwards in popularity the way they were just a year ago. Have retailers and brands overemphasized the importance of wearable technology?

As many as 82 percent of women “Empty-Nester Boomers” spend more time browsing for products online than in-store, according to a report from Influence Central and Vibrant Nation. Do you agree there is a disconnect between how the Empty-Nester Boomer generation sees “themselves and how they’re viewed externally?”

While in far fewer numbers than their younger counterparts, the population of seniors going online is expanding and those that do are active participants in the cyber world. Does the marketing community overall seem to over- or under estimate the opportunity targeting online seniors?

A new study of social media habits shows that Boomers and older generations are increasingly curious about online social networking yet also increasingly frustrated with websites. How would you rate social media as a tool for brands and retailers to reach 40+ Americans?

Government statistics show older workers are not in any hurry to retire. The decision to keep working might be for financial reasons, or a fear of dying, as a recent study showed that blue-collar workers who retire earlier have higher mortality rates. What does the large numbers of older Americans postponing retirement mean for retailers as employers? What effect will this have on the national economy?

Amazon.com has announced the launch of its 50+ Active and Healthy Living Store, to make it easier for older consumers to find and buy products that meet their life-stage needs. Do you expect to see more 50+ retail concepts, both brick & mortar as well as digital, springing up in the years to come?

Facts of life: some seniors reach a point where they can’t/won’t cook but they still want to eat tasty but healthy food. Meanwhile, they enjoy shopping and like having an excuse to get out of the house if they can. Is there a demand for specially devised ready meals for seniors?

According to research from Nielsen Neurofocus, a research company that studies how people’s brains respond to advertising, packaging, products, and shopping experiences, though some neural decline is inevitable, older people have broader attention spans and are more emotionally balanced. To what degree should advertising be adjusted for the Boomer generation?

Dealing (in every sense of the word) with an aging population is a hot topic globally as retailers worldwide seek new ways to make shopping easier and more attractive to seniors. Are U.S. retailers taking steps to ensure they are accommodating older shoppers?

With Boomers getting crotchety and the top end of the Millennials range reaching their mid-thirties, society’s obsession with youth is over, according to a global survey by Euro RSCG Worldwide. To what degree do you agree that society’s youth obsession is waning?

A new survey by A.T. Kearney identified a number of different ways consumers’ needs intensify or shift after the age of 80 such as being much more loyal to established brands, and less willing to spend money on products that offer healthy benefits or are considered “green.” Do you feel the “self-definition for becoming old” is now starting at the age of 80?

As those involved in retail and related industries are aware, an aging population has wide-ranging implications. According to a report discussed in The Washington Post, the mature population of the suburbs has apparently grown much faster than that in urban areas. How might consumption patterns and shopping needs change with an aging population in many of America’s suburbs?

As Sheena Hastings of the Yorkshire Post put it, “shopping may be good for your health and even prolong life.” What do you think of the notion of shopping helping people live longer?

On February 18, community volunteers in East Harlem distributed chairs and window stickers bearing the slogan “Age-friendly New York City” to 50 businesses as part of a larger program led by the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM). Is providing seating becoming more critical across retail channels as Boomers age?

On New Year’s Day, the oldest members of the Baby Boom Generation turned 65. Adjusting to having passed the middle of their (our) lives is a challenge, which may be characterised by Denial (with a deliberately capital D). How will aging Baby Boomers affect all aspects of retailing in the years to come?

Retailers, start your engines. As baby boomers begin to reach the age of retirement, the population of seniors is expected to swell dramatically. What common assumptions about selling to Baby Boomers are spot on or dead wrong?

In an effort to secure its foothold in the nutrition sector, Nestlé has identified a new market – elderly people who may suffer from malnutrition. How do you rate the opportunity to provide nutritional products for the elderly?

Kimberly-Clark, in conjunction with Walgreens and Rite-Aid, has a project to understand and learn from what the shopping experience is like for seniors. Test subjects, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal, put on thick glasses to blur their vision, put unpopped popcorn in their shoes, and tape their thumbs to their palms…. Do you think drastic changes will be needed for retailers to serve aging Boomers?

Following an experiment by German supermarket, Kaiser, that seems to be far more successful than anticipated, British chain, Tesco, is considering a store designed specifically to meet the needs of older shoppers. What do you think is the market potential for senior-friendly stores? What are the pros and cons for U.S. chains opening such concepts?

An article on the Stores magazine website, Five Things You Don’t Know About Baby Boomers, suggests that retail marketers need to take a new open-eyed look and approach to communicating with this important consumer demographic. What do you see as the most common disconnect between marketers and boomers? Where do you see the biggest opportunity for marketers to reach out to a given segment of the boomer generation?

According to a survey conducted by FH Boom and the National Marketing Institute of 1,100 Baby Boomers, 86 percent plan to be more practical and pragmatic in their purchases when they reach the age of 70, and much less concerned about trendiness and indulgences. Do you also expect Boomer spending tendencies to become more “more practical and pragmatic” as they reach the age of 70 and older? Why or why not?

An Ad Age piece touched on a new study from Edelman’s StrategyOne market research group, which concluded that marketers don’t really understand baby boomers even though many of them are part of the generation themselves. What mistakes do you see in how marketers communicate with members of the baby boom generation? What do marketers, particularly retailers, need to do if they wish to be successful with this large and diverse demographic?

While past generations were known for entrenched habits, frugality and sedentary lifestyles, today’s consumers in their 60s, 70s and 80s are showing a willingness to travel, dine out and adopt new technologies. That’s why the advertising world is changing their approach on how to reach older consumers, particularly as more and more baby boomers enter the upper bracket. How should advertisers be marketing to baby boomers as they reach old age?

The senior care products market is getting ready to explode. The basic premise is that as the baby boomer generation prepares to enter retirement age, the need for products that enhance their lifestyles, improve their health prospects and ease the burden of their disabilities will accelerate. Do you think vendors and retailers are prepared for the graying baby boomer generation?

Blame it on the media. Of all the images non-Americans have of the U.S., one becoming more prevalent is that of Baby Boomers in hot pursuit of the fountain of youth. Will the aging population be most significant in how retailing develops over the next 20 years or will another factor such as ethnic diversity, environmental awareness or something else have a greater influence?

We’ve talked here before about multi-generation and single person households but there is another kind of household whose numbers, especially in the U.S., are increasing steadily year on year. According to a recent Bloomberg article, 2.8 million households nationwide were part of age-restricted communities in 2005, up 29 percent from 2001. Will living in age-restricted communities change the way people shop?