Elderly consumers in marketing research: A systematic literature review and directions for future research

Abstract

This paper reports a theme-based structured systematic literature review of the growing body of marketing research about elderly consumers. By synthesizing, explicating, and relating this research, the paper offers a structured view of the past and present state of the research field and integrates it into a theoretical framework. The literature review was based on 209 marketing research articles published from the early 1970s to 2021. It identified 13 research topics, which were subsequently grouped into three themes: (1) describing and defining the elderly market segment, (2) age changes and the elderly consumer, and (3) marketing responses of elderly consumers. Based on these themes, the paper presents a theoretical framework and provides directions for future marketing research on elderly consumers. The systematic literature review thus provides clarity to a wide and interdisciplinary research field, facilitating its continued growth.