New poll shows Boomers use far less shopping tech, and don’t want any more

Finally, a generational divide to rival tattoos in the workplace: whether or not new-fangled tech is helpful when it comes to shopping.

According to a recent Morning Brew-Harris Poll survey about retail tech, baby boomers are both far less likely to have used tools like QR codes or augmented reality while shopping, and less interested in using them in the future.

• The survey is representative of US adults and was fielded June 11–13.

Past...For every tech except self-checkout, which was rolled out before many Gen Z respondents were even born, boomers are last in terms of adoption by a significant margin:

Future...27% of boomers want less technology integrated into their shopping experience, and just 13% want more. Nearly half (46%) are fine with the way it is, and 14% said ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

• By way of comparison, 40% of zoomers (aka “Gen Zers”), 47% of millennials, and 32% of Gen Xers want more tech.
• But it feels like a good chunk of each generation is at a goldilocks point, with 33% of Gen Zers, 28% of millennials, and 40% of Gen Xers saying shopping tech is good as is.

Bottom line: Directionally speaking, these figures aren’t surprising. But they demonstrate the gulf between older and younger people when it comes to using emerging tech in daily life.

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