Bunny Ruffle Tail123M
Americans 50+, or 36% of the U.S. population1
ADVERTISER BRIEFING · OCTOBER 2026 · JOANNA STONE, FOUNDER, BUNNY RUFFLE TAIL
She Isn't Invisible. Your Systems Are Blind to Her.
You have heard for ten years that women 50+ are underserved. This briefing is not that argument again. It shows how the way ads get bought, targeted, and measured filters out the most valuable customer in America, and what to do about it.
Last updated . Updated as new research is released.
The Real Problem: The Plumbing
Marketers don't dislike her. The machinery they use was built around a younger customer, and it still runs on autopilot. Three defaults cut her out before a creative brief is ever written.
The result shows on screen. Ad characters over 60 fell 62% between 2022 and 2024, to just 1.4% of all characters.6 Adults 50+ are 46% of U.S. adults but appear in only 15% of online media images.7
The Buying Demo
TV and video are still traded against the 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 demos. Yet one analysis found 61% of TV ad impressions are delivered to adults 55+, so she is seen but never planned for or paid for.8 In a 2025 survey, only 3% of Americans over 50 said they feel "seen" in advertising.9
The Age Bracket
On Facebook and Instagram, the oldest age setting an advertiser can choose is "65+." It lumps a 66-year-old executive and a 92-year-old into one cell.10 In the UK, 55+ isn't even a traded TV audience.11
The Last Click
72% of marketers agree last-click attribution ignores the upper funnel.12 She is the upper funnel: she researches, compares, and reads reviews before she buys.1314 Weeks of influence get credited to whichever ad she clicked last, or to nothing at all.
Why This Matters for Your Budget
Her path is long, and then she stays. Half of Gen X and boomer shoppers read up before buying, and they are more brand-loyal once they choose.14 Last-click reporting penalizes the customer with the highest lifetime value.
She regrets less. In one Adobe study, 37% of Gen X and older shoppers reported buyer's remorse, compared with 57% of millennials. Fewer returns means more margin.15
The fix is measurement, not more awareness. Plan against 50+ audiences directly, split "65+" into real life stages, and judge results by repeat purchase and lifetime value, not only by last click.
She Is Gaining Wealth, Not Losing Relevance
The wealth is shifting to her. Women control about a third of U.S. household investable assets today. They are expected to control much of the $30 trillion baby boomers will hold by 2030.3
She powers the economy. The 50+ generated $12.5 trillion in U.S. economic activity, and women drive 64% of consumer purchases globally.1617 98% of women 50+ travelers are their household's decision makers.18
She is under pressure, and very selective. 62% of women voters 50 to 64 say their finances fall short of what they expected, compared with 39% of those 65+.19 71% have cut nonessential spending.20 She cuts the brands that don't earn her, not the categories.
The Tech Myth Is Over
Brands still picture her as needing help with the remote. The data say otherwise:
She is not late to digital. She is fluent in it.
How She Shops Online
| Channel | What the Data Show | What It Means for Brands |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Adults 55+ make up half of Prime subscribers (65+ are 29%, 55 to 64 are 21%).23 69.85% of adults 55 to 64 are members.24 | Retail media and marketplace search are where her research turns into purchases. Optimize listings, reviews, and Q&A for her questions. |
| Live shopping | Boomers made 31% of live-shopping purchases in one survey.25 She grew up with QVC and HSN. | Live selling is a familiar format for her, not a Gen Z novelty. Expert demos and honest try-ons convert well. |
| Affiliate & creators | Gen X and boomers are more resistant than younger buyers to generic creator content.26 Creators her own age perform differently (see Creator Proof). | The issue is not whether creators work. It is which creator. A peer's link earns trust that a 24-year-old's link can't. |
| Brand sites & email | 71%of boomers visit brand websites before buying.13 Boomers say retailer emails are their second step when researching apparel.27 | Owned channels close the sale. Build lists, and send useful content rather than just discounts. |
She Is Not One Woman
Segment by Life Stage, Not Just Birthday.
| Segment | Who She Is | What She Needs From Brands |
|---|---|---|
| Ages 50 to 64 | Peak career, caregiving for kids and parents, menopause. 53% struggle with health costs.19 Uses YouTube (85%), Facebook (71%), and Instagram (41%).28 | Smart value, time savers, confidence. Menopause, sleep, and strength are open lanes; Boots No7 proved it (see Brands That Already Proved It). |
| Ages 65+ | Retired or reinventing, grandchildren, travel. Mainly on YouTube (65%) and Facebook (59%).28 | Experiences, quality, legacy. Treat her as an active customer, not a "senior." |
| Solo women | 33% of women 65+ live alone (10.5 million).29 Widows are 29% of older women.29 43% of adults 55 to 64 have been divorced at least once.30 | She makes every decision herself: money, home, safety, travel. Solo-friendly pricing, independence, and peer community. |
| Multicultural | 42% of adults 50+ are Black, Hispanic, Asian, or of other multicultural backgrounds.1 78% of 50+ population growth over the next decade is multicultural.31 86% of Latinas control or share household financial decisions, and 80% feel treated as an afterthought.32 | Culturally specific casting, hair and skin expertise, and bilingual creators. She notices immediately when she has been treated as an afterthought. |
| Still working | 18 million women 55+ are in the workforce, 10.8% of all U.S. workers. Labor force participation for women 55 to 64 is 61.4%.33 | Workwear, polish, time-saving, and professional relevance. Her income is earned, not fixed. |
| Founders | 97% of women 50+ entrepreneurs say starting a business was the right choice.34 | Tools, services, and B2B offers. She is a buyer for her household and for her business. |
| Grandmothers | Grandparents spend $172 billion a year on grandchildren, an average of $2,654 each.35 More than $700 of that goes to gifts, and half of adults 50+ are grandparents.36 | Gifting, toys, kids' clothing, education, and travel. She buys for three generations. |
Where the Category Growth Is
| Category | Signal | Opening for Brands |
|---|---|---|
| Beauty | Women 50+ spent about $22 billion a year on beauty in AARP's analysis.37 Only 22% of women 50+ feel heavy pressure to meet beauty standards, compared with 41% of women under 50.38 | Pro-age, not anti-age. Show real skin and texture; she has opted out of chasing youth. |
| Hair | About 25% of women show hair loss by age 50, rising to 41 to 50% by 70.39 Gray hair, thinning, and texture changes are almost universal. | Thinning care, gentle tools, scalp health, and gray styling. Education beats promises; this is the core of BRT's brush education. |
| Health & supplements | 75.9% of adults 60+ take a dietary supplement.56 Women spend over $13 billion a year treating menopause symptoms, and more than $10 billion of that goes to nonmedical options such as supplements.57 | Menopause, sleep, bone, joint, and hair-from-within support. She reads labels and wants proof, so pair clinical evidence with a peer she trusts. |
| Travel | Spending by U.S. and Canadian women 50+ is projected to grow from $245 billion to $519 billion.18 | Solo, girlfriend, and wellness trips are mainstream, not niche. |
| Fashion | 55% of women 50+ have cut back on clothing as prices rise.40 | Fit, quality, and versatility, plus membership and value messaging. |
| Home | Adults 55 to 64 spend 56% more on home improvement than adults 25 to 34.41 | Downsizing, aging in place, and redecorating after the kids leave. |
| Financial | Women stand to control much of a $30 trillion transfer,3 yet many report feeling patronized by financial professionals.42 | Respectful, plain-language advice. The first firm that treats her as the decision maker wins her for decades. |
What She Is Telling Brands
These are not complaints. They are buying signals. When she sees herself, she buys. When she sees a cliché, she leaves.
Where to Reach Her
YouTube and Facebook reach the most of her. Instagram reaches 41% of adults 50 to 64.28
Pinterest reaches 33% of adults 50 to 64 and 22% of those 65+,43 and women outpace men on it in every age group.44
Podcasts: monthly listening among Americans 55+ more than doubled, from 21% in 2023 to 44% in 2026.45 Yet listeners 55+ get only 2.6% of age-targeted podcast ad impressions.4 That gap is an open lane.
Connected TV: streaming is now 44.8% of all TV viewing,46 so CTV is how to reach her on the TV set without buying against the 18 to 49 demo.
Email remains one of her trusted research tools.27
Creator Proof
Only 5% of UK influencer spend goes to campaigns featuring creators 50+.47 Yet in WPP Media's GOAT analysis of UK campaigns, those aimed at audiences 45+ outperformed under-45 campaigns: +35% click-through, +41% video completion, +116% awareness, and +33% engagement, at 15% lower cost. When older creators spoke to older audiences, relevance scores were 73% higher.47 A separate study found creators 45+ deliver 19% higher click-through and 7% higher return on ad spend.48 In a TikTok field experiment, an influencer who appeared to be in her late 40s to mid-50s drew 70 to 90% more views than a 20-something persona.49
+35% click-through+41% video completion+116% awareness+33% engagement
at 15% lower cost
Brands That Already Proved It
| Brand and Campaign | What They Did | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Dove, Beauty Never Gets Old | Starred women 60+ in a mainstream beauty campaign | $11M increase in Beauty Bar sales, 70% higher dollar sales, and 1.4B earned impressions50 |
| L'Oréal Age Perfect | Built a long-running campaign around Helen Mirren and older women | 78,000 new buyers, with ROI rising from 2:1 to 4.50:1 over time51 |
| Boots No7 Menopause | Spoke directly to menopausal skin needs | +39% sales of menopause items, +7% penetration among women 45+, and £3.35 return per £1 spent52 |
| LYMA | Worked with 31 creators aged 40 to 60 | 6.84x return on ad spend and 4.9M impressions53 |
| Midi Health | Partnered with a midlife creator on menopause care | 3.2% engagement, compared with the creator's 2.1% average, and about $362K in earned media value54 |
The Advertiser Playbook
- Buy her on purpose. Add 50+ audience targets to media plans, and stop treating her as spillover from the 25 to 54 demo.
- Split "65+" into real life stages: working, solo, grandmother, founder.
- Measure the whole journey, using lift studies, repeat-purchase rates, and lifetime value alongside last click.
- Cast her, and hire her. 70% are more likely to buy from brands that show people their age.37
- Go where she buys: Amazon, live shopping, affiliate links, CTV, and email.
- Partner with a peer voice. Credibility is what a 50+ creator brings that a demo buy can't.
Articles in This Series
FOUNDER, BUNNY RUFFLE TAIL
About Joanna
Joanna Stone is the founder of Bunny Ruffle Tail, a lifestyle, media, and commerce brand for women 50+, and its shoppable storefront, The Bunny Edit. She sells live as an Amazon Influencer and Walmart Creator.
She brings 20 years of sales, publishing, and marketing leadership, including roles as group publisher and CMO.
Agencies offer strategy with no storefront. Creators offer a storefront with no strategy. Joanna brings both, and she is also the customer this report describes.
Amazon Influencer · Walmart Creator · Group Publisher and CMO
Partner With JoannaLet's Build the Campaign She's Been Waiting For.
Strategy and a storefront, from the customer herself.
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