Gen X buying habits and how this generation shops online

Gen X, born between 1965 and 1980, makes up about 20% of the US population but accounts for more than 30% of household spending, some $15.2 trillion in 2025 alone. The average Gen X household spends $25,468 a year on general merchandise, groceries, and dining out. Ecommerce retailers need to understand these buying habits and shopping behaviors to earn a share of that spending.

So what makes these Gen Xers tick? To truly get inside this generation’s minds, let’s get curious about what drives them to shop and how a well-designed support center can help you land these shoppers and turn them into repeat buyers.

Gen X consumer behavior

Gen X's buying habits don't look like the generations on either side of them. This group over-indexes in both online and in-store shopping, and close to 90% of Gen X households say they're the primary grocery decision-maker at home, according to NielsenIQ. Rather than following social media trends, Gen X tends to lean on reviews, recommendations, email, and retailer loyalty programs when deciding what to buy. A strong Amazon rating or a well-placed feature at Costco carries more weight with this generation than an influencer post.

What products do Generation X buy?

At an average age of 50, Gen X is well into their careers with adult and near-adult-aged children, thinking about the incoming costs of higher education, car payments, and numerous other big-ticket expenses. This group also prefers no-nonsense marketing to understand the products they buy for their capabilities and durability.

To that end, if your brand targets Gen X shoppers, your customer experiences need to demonstrate transparency and concision, outlining your benefits clearly and in as few words as possible to plant yourselves firmly as the brand of choice for this generation.

How Gen X online shops

Gen X shops online less than younger generations, but when they do, they look for brands they trust and that have a record of delivering quality products and services.

According to a HubSpot report, 62% of Gen Xers prefer to purchase products in-store, but when they do shop online, 47% favor online retailers like Amazon. Roughly one in four Gen X shoppers go directly through a company’s website, and about 26% say they'd rather buy through a social media app.

The challenge of Gen X shoppers

Generating more online sales from Gen X is therefore going to be more challenging than it is with younger demographics, especially when it comes to getting them away from the Amazons and Walmarts of the world.

Tapping into Gen X online shopping habits

Gen X responds to brands that demonstrate commitment to their values. They also want to experience retailers’ customer service before fully giving their long-term loyalty in return. Here’s how that plays out.

1. Gen X wants a brand they can trust

Within the same HubSpot report, 70% of Gen Xers said they were more likely to buy from a company that they can trust with their data. The best place to start bolstering customer trust? Your data. Brands need to not only collect customers’ information transparently and house it securely, but they also need to use it effectively. To that end, brands can demonstrate their data trustworthiness by applying it to create more personal experiences.

To prove your trustworthiness, use a support platform that collects and stores data as securely as possible. The partner you use should allow you to treat each piece of customer information as if it were your own, without sacrificing the important accessibility qualities that make great support centers run smoothly.

(Not sure where to start or what tools you need? Brush up on the fundamentals with customer data management principles.)

2. Gen X trusts recommendations over trends

When Gen X does put its trust in a brand, it's rarely because of a flashy loyalty club or an active social following. NielsenIQ's 2025 research found this generation leans on recommendations, reviews, email, and retailer loyalty programs, not social trends, when deciding what to buy. Consistent service and word of mouth matter more here than chasing a following.

Word of mouth still starts with a good experience, and great service is often what gets shoppers talking about a brand to people they know. But Gladly's 2026 Customer Expectations Report found that even when AI resolves an issue, which now happens 88% of the time, only 22% of customers prefer the company afterward. Resolving a problem and earning loyalty aren't the same thing, and Gen X, a generation that rewards brands it trusts, notices the difference.

3. Gen X is willing to be loyal to the right brand

Brand loyalty is one of Gen X's defining traits. NielsenIQ's 2025 analysis found Gen X shows the highest brand loyalty rates of any generation, particularly in food, beverage, personal care, and household categories, which means it's worth investing in the experiences that keep shoppers coming back.

Strong customer loyalty lives and dies by the support center. To earn Gen X’s trust, make sure your customer service team can develop relationships that last by equipping agents with the tools to connect with shoppers through easily accessed customer details. This not only creates a sense of trust, but also shows your attention to detail in making shoppers feel at home.

What is the difference between millennials and Gen X on shopping?

Millennials are either shopping just for themselves or for their young-but-growing families, and are more interested in supporting brands that align with their personal values, such as sustainability.

Get a breakdown of other generations' shopping habits:

• Exploring the Changing Shopping Habits of Baby Boomers

• Silent Generation Shopping Habits

• Millennial customer expectations and CX loyalty

• Gen Z customer expectations and CX loyalty

Building loyalty with Gen X using Gladly

Brands can drive loyalty by creating customer experiences that keep shoppers engaged. The best way to get started is to invest in a support platform like Gladly that makes personalization a fundamental part of the service experience.

Using a conversation-driven approach that foregoes the impersonal aspects of ticketed systems, Gladly helps you show Gen X shoppers you’re attentive to their needs and willing to do what it takes to make them happy.