When it comes to alcoholic beverages, Baby Boomers (Australians aged 55+) are a segment not to be ignored. Compared with the overall Australian 18+ population, this important demographic segment certainly enjoy a drink, with more than two-thirds saying they have consumed an alcoholic beverage in the past month, compared to just over half of Millennials (aged 18-34) and 64% of Gen X (aged 35-54).

In general, Baby Boomers also have more disposable income compared to five years ago – they have higher personal and household incomes, and are spending more on entertainment and recreational activities.

Baby boomers’ favourite tipple is a glass of wine, and beer a close second favourite. They are also more likely to have had scotch or whiskey in the past month.

One-in-four Boomers keep an eye out for ‘good value’ when it comes to purchasing wines. However this is not at the cost of quality, as Boomers are 35% more likely to spend more for quality wines and spirits. They are also more likely to purchase wines that are ‘natural’ (natural in ingredients, brewing process and with no preservatives or additives) with almost half (44%) of baby boomers saying they have found some health benefits with drinking wine.

To reach Australian Boomers, retailers and brands should consider investing in catalogues, as Boomers are 30% more likely to have read an alcoholic-beverage-related catalogue in the past month. Boomers are also more likely to be heavy viewers of free-to-air TV, commercial radio and newspapers so an effective combination of mass as well as local advertising on these media channels is a good clue to reaching this group of wine lovers.

Source: Nielsen Consumer & Media View, National database, October 2016 – September 2017, Base: 18+