GLOBAL – New research from Publicis Luxe and OpinionWay reveals two thirds of 45-60 year olds worldwide view aging as an opportunity – and they’re shifting their spending from status to self-investment as a result.
Forget velvet ropes and logo-heavy handbags, Generation X is redefining the meaning of luxury – leaving premium brands scrambling to catch up.
New international research spanning the United States, the UAE, France and China reveals luxury brands risk missing a multi-billion-dollar growth opportunity as 45-60 year olds, now entering their peak spending years, prioritise autonomy and experiences over traditional status symbols.
The study reveals that more than half of Gen Xers in the US, UAE and France buy luxury items for personal pleasure, not social recognition – undermining decades of marketing strategy built around exclusive access and conspicuous consumption.
The study shows that 61% of Gen Xers view midlife as a moment of opportunity and transformation. In China, nearly half consider it a “second youth” – the perfect opportunity to live life to the full, explore and reinvent yourself – and a third of respondents in the US and UAE connect ageing with a sense of renewed optimism. A quarter of Americans say they feel content simply being themselves, while 43% prefer experiences to possessions.
This shift in luxury consumption patterns poses a challenge for premium brands. As mortgages end and children gain independence, Gen X controls a significant – and growing – proportion of household wealth. But while traditional luxury marketing emphasises visibility, Gen X consumers around the world demonstrate markedly different preferences to previous generations – prioritising a sense of “satisfaction and accomplishment” and discretion.
Unlike Baby Boomers, responses showed Gen Xers across all regions believe luxury is personal and experiential. In particular, more than 70% of respondents from France and the USA equate luxury with experiential freedoms such as travel and quality time with loved ones, while fewer than 10% consider luxury purchases to be an investment. The majority of consumers from all regions feel “being able to do what you want” is a luxury.
Notably, brand loyalty also appears on the decline – only 1 in 10 consumers across these markets would buy luxury items out of allegiance to a certain company or brand – while function beats aesthetics for respondents from every country except France.
Regional nuances shine through in every category: while those in the United States look for long-term value and functionality when making luxury purchases, nine out of ten respondents in both China and the UAE are ready to pay more for luxury goods and services that align with environmental values.
In the Emirates, 85% of consumers view luxury as a lever for upward mobility, while 49% of those in France favour purchases that feel discreet and exclusive. More than a third of Chinese respondents consider innovation an “essential” quality when choosing luxury products – compared to only one in ten consumers in France and the United States.
Now, as Gen X enters its peak spending decade, brands that recognise this shift stand to capture a demographic with both the means and motivation to invest in premium experiences, and which has nothing to prove.
Those that fail to adapt risk losing a generation of high-value customers who view aging as a period of possibility, freedom and self-expression – in other words, the ultimate luxury experience.
