At Walnut Unlimited, we believe that human understanding doesn’t stop at 65. Yet in the world of consumer research, older adults, especially those aged 70 and above, are too often overlooked. This is particularly true when it comes to sensitive or stigmatised topics, where discomfort and assumptions about purchasing power can lead to a lack of meaningful insight. But if we want to design better products, services, and experiences for everyone, we must go further. We must go older.

The Case for Going Older

The global population is ageing rapidly. By 2030, over 1.4 billion people will be aged 60 or older. In the UK, older consumers represent a powerful economic force. According to the Office for National Statistics, household spending in Q4 2024 grew by 1.2% compared to the same quarter in 2023, with notable contributions from sectors like restaurants and hotels, areas where older consumers are active participants.

Older people are living longer, staying active, and making purchasing decisions well into their 70s, 80s, and beyond. Yet many brands still default to researching the 18–64 bracket, missing out on the nuanced needs and behaviours of older consumers.

This is why the UN’s International Day of Older Persons, observed every 1st of October, is so important. The 2024 theme, “Ageing with Dignity: The Importance of Strengthening Care and Support Systems for Older Persons Worldwide”, highlights the urgent need to design systems, services, and experiences that respect the autonomy, dignity, and diversity of older people. It’s a global call to action for governments, institutions, and yes, brands, to ensure that older people are not just seen, but heard, understood, and supported in every aspect of life.

And for many of us, this is no longer a distant issue. As someone in the generation now increasingly involved in caring for ageing parents, I’ve seen firsthand how complex and emotionally demanding that role can be. The stress, the juggling of responsibilities, the quiet guilt of not doing enough, it’s all very real. And it brings us closer to the lived experiences of older people themselves. It’s no longer “them”, it’s us, or soon will be.

What Should We Be Researching?

When we talk about researching older people, it’s not just about health and care. It’s about joy, autonomy, and quality of life. We should be exploring:

• Enjoyable products What brings pleasure, comfort, and ease to everyday life? From hobbies to travel to entertainment, older people are active consumers of joy.
• Adaptation and accessibility How can we design products and services that adapt to changing physical or cognitive needs without compromising dignity?
• Digital literacy What are the real barriers to digital engagement, and how can we design tech that’s intuitive, inclusive, and empowering?
• Slowing down How do older people experience time, pace, and energy differently, and how can brands respond with empathy?
• Ethical considerations Are we treating older people as full participants in research, or as passive subjects? Are we asking the right questions, in the right ways?
• Awareness of illness and ageing How do people navigate the emotional and practical realities of ageing, from memory loss to mobility to bereavement?

And crucially, we must acknowledge our own biases. Tools like the Harvard Implicit Association Test have shown that many of us, often unconsciously, associate ageing with decline, dependency, or irrelevance. These biases can shape how we design research, interpret data, and even decide who to include. Recognising and challenging these assumptions is the first step toward more inclusive, respectful insight.

Researching the Unspoken: A Case in Incontinence

One area where older voices are especially underrepresented is in research around sensitive health and wellbeing topics. Incontinence, for example, is a deeply personal issue that affects dignity, confidence, and quality of life. Yet it is rarely explored in depth with the people most affected, often those in their 70s, 80s, and beyond.

In our work with a major global brand, we conducted a multi-market study across six countries to understand the needs of people living with incontinence. Our approach combined quantitative surveys with proposition testing, exploring everything from comfort and fit to the perceived value of premium materials. We also examined the path to purchase, online vs. in-store preferences, barriers to trial, and the role of caregivers in decision-making.

One of the most revealing findings? The journey to buying an incontinence product is rarely linear. It’s shaped by emotion, stigma, and a desire for discretion. Older users, in particular, prioritise comfort, skin-friendliness, and subtlety, features that are often underrepresented in mainstream product design and marketing.

This work not only helped the brand refine its product and communication strategy, but also demonstrated the commercial and ethical value of including older voices in sensitive research.

Why Brands Don’t Go There, And Why They Should

So why don’t more brands research older audiences? There are several reasons: assumptions about tech literacy, perceived lack of brand loyalty, and the belief that older consumers are less likely to switch or try new products. But these are myths. Our research shows that older adults are discerning, engaged, and willing to pay more for products that meet their needs.

And there’s another reason to pay attention: the brain doesn’t forget a good brand. Neuroscience tells us that long-term brand associations are stored in implicit memory systems, meaning that older people often have deep, emotional connections to legacy brands. These associations can be powerful drivers of loyalty, trust, and preference.

So should businesses try to hold onto legacy brands? In many cases, yes. Just look at the recent wave of nostalgia for Woolworths. While younger people may claim to want it back, it’s older generations who remember it vividly, who associate it with Saturday sweets, pick-and-mix, and a sense of community. That emotional memory is gold dust. It’s not just about bringing back the past, it’s about recognising the value of what’s already embedded in people’s lives.

The Challenge: Reaching the Right People

Despite these successes, researching older people, especially those aged 75+, remains challenging. One key reason? They’re not on traditional market research channels. Online panels, mobile surveys, and digital ethnography often miss this group entirely.

This was highlighted in our recent interviews with caregivers. When we asked about the needs of their older family members, it became clear that the people actually using incontinence products were often not the ones responding to surveys. Instead, caregivers were acting as proxies, sharing insights, frustrations, and unmet needs on behalf of their loved ones.

This proxy model is valuable, but it’s not enough. To truly understand older consumers, we need to find new ways to reach them, whether that’s through community partnerships, in-person interviews, or hybrid methodologies that blend digital and analogue approaches.

The Walnut Way: Going Deeper, Going Older

At Walnut Unlimited, we don’t shy away from complexity. We embrace it. Our work on incontinence has shown that when you research with care, you uncover insights that can transform not just products, but lives. We’ve helped clients understand the emotional and practical realities of ageing, and we’ve done it by listening, really listening, to those who are too often left out of the conversation.

So let’s stop treating older people as an afterthought. Let’s start seeing them as the vibrant, valuable, and vocal consumers they are. Because research with older people isn’t just important, it’s essential.