End-buyers ages 55+ say they spend a quarter of their marketing budget on promo.

ASI’s exclusive research reveals client buying habits in eight markets and across multiple demographics.

ASI Research is wrapping up our new series profiling the people distributors work with most closely: end-buyers. Each week we released a new data set that spotlights one of eight markets and looks at end-buyers through demographics such as age, gender, region and company size.

This week, our research focuses on promotional products end-buyers ages 55+, the last of several age demographics surveyed throughout the United States.

The percentage of older Americans, particularly those older than 65, who hold a job today has nearly quadrupled since the mid-1980s, a Pew Research Center analysis found – meaning that this demographic is becoming a more important segment to consider in the corporate gifting market. According to ASI’s 2023 Ad Impressions Study, some of the most influential promotional products for consumers ages 55+ include outerwear, umbrellas and performance wear.

ASI’s 2024 end-buyer research reports that end-buyers in this demographic value a distributor that offers comprehensive services, with half naming “doing all the work” as an important distributor benefit – more than any other end-buyer segment surveyed. Additionally, promotional products end-buyers ages 55+ are the most likely age demographic to give promo to prospects and to pay a premium for Made-in-the-USA products.