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It is almost inevitable that the human population will decline. Birth rates are falling at much higher rates than initially projected, across rich, poor, and middle-income countries alike1. A reduction in childhood mortality, better contraception and healthcare, as well as women’s increasing financial independence in many parts of the world are among the reasons contributing to this phenomenon. A decrease in the world’s population, unseen since the Black Death during the 14th century2, is now an imminent reality. Naturally, this leads to the discussion of ideas that once seemed farfetched, with world leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin caught discussing immortality through organ transplants, the notion that an aged population will lead to fewer wars, and broad implications for the labour force especially with the hurtling pace of technological developments including artificial intelligence.

With the peak of human population expected to be in 20843, a much closer reality is that an increasingly larger proportion of the human population will be elderly. As healthcare improves, people will be “older for longer”, thereby changing the demographic structure of the human population. The average department store consumer is middle-aged; however, the narrative surrounding serving these consumers has often skirted around or relied on subverting age stereotypes. The age-old (pun-intended) question has been: how do we serve elderly customers without calling them old? However, some retailers and brands are in the process of rebranding being old and leaning into combatting ageism by beginning mainstream discussions. With generations typically increasing their spending power as they age, currently concentrated in Gen X and beyond, department stores have a unique advantage in addressing consumption for ageing populations.

Ageism, beauty standards and the cost of exclusion

The stigma of being labelled ‘old’ reflects deeply rooted attitudes in which ageing is equated with diminished worth, relevance and incompetence. Ageism manifests across various domains, from workplace discrimination, dismissal of health symptoms, to social interactions patronising or ignoring older adults. In the retail industry, this presents as the exclusion of workers over forty, glorifying ‘youthful’ energy and excluding age diversity in inclusivity strategies4 . Ageist attitudes are particularly pronounced on gender lines, creating an imbalance where women encounter these much earlier and more markedly than men, compounding the effects of sexism. Women in their forties and fifties are perceived as being ‘old’ or having past their reproductive or conventional beauty standards while men of this age are often seen as still being in their prime.

The beauty industry offers the clearest illustration, where anti‑ageing has long been a foundational theme, with products marketed to women starting as early as their twenties, and sometimes even before. According to the latest Vogue Business beauty standards survey, ageing is a primary beauty concern according to 97% of respondents. Recently, the beauty industry has seen the onset of a ‘pro-ageing’ movement which ‘advocates for self-care and wellness at every stage in life’. Several beauty brands have transitioned from using words such as ‘anti-ageing’ to ‘rejuvenation’, ‘revitalisation’ and ‘ageless’, in advertising, promoting linguistic inclusivity while still idealising youth.

On one hand, beauty brands are rewording narratives to performatively tackle these pervasive beauty standards while on the other hand, increasingly medicalising beauty products to enhance claims of ageing reversal—La Prairie Pure Gold Revitalising Essence claims ‘maximum cellular renewal for skin with visible signs of ageing especially those linked with hormonal disequilibrium’. Beauty products are increasingly medicalised to create a stronger backing for products claiming to reverse natural processes such as ageing. This follows the larger trend of increased consumption of medicalised beauty products and procedures including the rise of Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonist drugs.

In recent years, the inclusion of older supermodels and actresses in advertising and fashion campaigns has often functioned as a form of token representation rather than genuine inclusivity. While figures like Maye Musk, Isabella Rossellini, and Helen Mirren are celebrated for defying age norms, their visibility tends to reinforce selective ideals of “ageing gracefully” rather than embracing age diversity in all its forms. Pamela Anderson’s makeup-less appearance at Paris Fashion Week and El Palacio de Hierro’s campaign featuring Carmen Dell’Orifice are examples of inclusivity without challenging the underlying narrative yet. This controlled visibility serves commercial motives, targeting older consumers with spending power without truly challenging entrenched ageist beauty standards.

Beauty standards and hyper perfectionism are reaching unprecedented levels in the age of AI. AI-generated content is known to lack diversity and introduce bias as a result of training data; this is further demonstrated by the exclusion and replacement of elderly models and consumers by generated versions. Diesel’s usage of AI-generated elderly models that are conspicuously muscular shows the distortion of beauty standards that is fuelling the engagement of all generations with ageing trends in differing manners. Ageist ideals in society are reflected in the retail industry, not just in beauty but in fashion, luxury and other sectors.

Altogether, such practices highlight the persistent commodification of inclusivity in the beauty and fashion industries, where ageing becomes a marketable narrative rather than authentic inclusion. The normalisation of ageing is the first step to addressing the biggest consumer group of the future.

The rebranding of ageing: Longevity and nostalgia

Longevity’s emergence as a defining wellness paradigm in 2025 reframes ageing from an unavoidable decline into an optimisation programme. A significant share of younger consumers is prioritising healthy ageing by adopting preventive practices such as cellular supplements, wearables, and epigenetic testing to extend health span rather than merely lifespan. Within this context, Khloé Kardashian’s KHLOUD protein popcorn exemplifies youth-oriented and health‑conscious positioning that capitalises on recent widespread appeal for accessible nutrition. Concurrently, the mainstreaming of menopause care, accelerated by social media communities and emergent brands such as Respin serving women in their forties and fifties, exposes a historically underserved category for life-stage solutions in the beauty and health industry. In developing markets, younger generations’ early adoption of wellness and longevity products is reinforced by sustainability considerations, further integrating health optimisation with sustainable consumption.

Parallelly, nostalgia marketing from legacy brands such as Levi’s and Polaroid taps into younger consumers’ yearning for eras they have never experienced, reflecting deeper anxieties about uncertain futures and a desire for perceived authenticity and stability from the past. This convergence creates a unique opportunity where older adults become valuable cultural transmitters rather than obsolete demographics - their lived experiences of nostalgic eras gain currency with younger generations seeking connection to ‘simpler times’, while their embodiment of successful ageing aligns with longevity wellness aspirations.

The result is a reframing where age becomes a bridge rather than a barrier, with older consumers positioned as pioneers and cultural custodians rather than declining market segments, fundamentally reshaping retail’s approach to intergenerational marketing and product development. Rather than recasting ageing for younger consumers, embedding older adults in product, content, and experience design so that communication embodies participation, not proxy representation is key.

Department stores bridging generations

Recently, Le Bon Marché hosted a cultural exposition entitled Rock’n’Drôle curated by renowned French television presenter Antoine de Caunes. Transforming the store and windows into a comprehensive celebration of rock and roll heritage, it encompassed a selection of vintage clothes and accessories reminiscent of the genre’s golden era, limited edition souvenirs and rare concert merchandise, as well as a space dedicated entirely to music complete with jukeboxes and vinyl records in collaboration with brands such as Kiloshop and Gibson, and collaborations with artists and animators including a surprise performance by Patti Smith.

The most notable feature, however, was the Rock Motel on the second floor which had ten themed rooms, each one paying tribute to ten icons of the genre including Elvis Presley, The Beatles, David Bowie and Patti Smith among others. The experience was enhanced by sensor-driven technology that triggered contextual narration throughout different areas of each room, with commentary provided by de Caunes’ cult persona Didier L’Embrouille from the French channel Canal+.

Perhaps unintentionally but significantly, the exhibition created meaningful intergenerational connections. Grandparents and parents were observed guiding younger family members through the installations, sharing anecdotes and contextualising the cultural significance of these musical icons for younger audiences. This organic knowledge transfer, as part of a technological showcase, exemplified how curated experiences can serve as a bridge between generations, demonstrating the growing trend of cultural programming to foster deeper customer engagement. John Lewis’ Christmas advertisement for the new ‘Where Love Lives’ campaign, showcases a similar sense of connection and nostalgia, taking viewers on a journey between a father and son, transported by music back to the 1990s.

During the same period, Galeries Lafayette presented a fashion and accessories curation by Sophie Fontanel, a French fashion critic, writer and influencer. She has been an avid commentator on ageing and deciding to go grey, having released a book on this topic, and stating that ‘the real anti-wrinkle is not caring’. Her curation was displayed across the ground floor and womenswear section at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, however at the time of visit, there was negligible customer interaction. She is featured on the cover of the fall catalogue, and the photograph and her choice of products subvert age stereotypes by owning markers such as greying hair and wrinkles, despite the ironic advertisement for La Prairie’s Revitalising Essence promising ‘eternal youth’ in the catalogue. In an interview, she also discussed the impact of filters on younger generations and how wrinkles go beyond shaping one’s face to include every experience in one’s life.

Beyond youth targeting: the intergenerational dividend

The silver generation, comprising many grandparents, frequently assumes responsibility for the care of their grandchildren. This demographic generally enjoys financial stability and tends to indulge their grandchildren, prioritising expenditures on them over personal spending (in France, it is estimated that assets exceeding EUR 9 trillion will be transferred to the next generation by 2040 as the baby boomer cohort ages). Grandparents shop for their grandchildren and look for entertaining activities when they look after them, representing business opportunities for retailers. Department stores, in particular, should reflect on how shared experiences between grandparents and grandchildren might cultivate enduring customer relationships among younger generations. Furthermore, a fair part of Generation X remains financially prosperous and spends a significant portion of their resources on personal consumption, which is another business opportunity. Despite this, most visible marketing efforts among retailers usually focus on attracting younger generations. It is notable that two department stores simultaneously introduced substantial campaigns addressing ageing through distinct approaches. These examples show that retailers may begin to mainstream age inclusion as an engagement driver, with iterations likely to deepen intergenerational relevance by delivering participatory experiences across customer segments. By recognising the emotional and financial influence of older generations alongside the aspirational pull of younger consumers, programming that transcends age categories can strengthen intergenerational brand affinity if sustained strategically.

For the retail industry, this shift also represents a strategic imperative. As the majority of disposable income consolidates among older generations and wellness becomes a universal aspiration, retailers that prioritise healthy ageing and intergenerational engagement will be best positioned for long-term growth. Younger generations remain essential to sustained relevance; however, their engagement is most effective when embedded within intergenerational strategies that elevate the service, accessibility, and trust valued by older shoppers while integrating the discovery, wellness, and omnichannel expectations set by Gen Z and Millennials. Department stores have often served as settings for intergenerational traditions such as shared visits and gifting rituals between grandparents and grandchildren. These can be complemented by designing services that intentionally translate elder advocacy into younger loyalty, thus creating a continuum of influence across life stages. Department stores, in particular, have the spatial and experiential capacity to curate environments combining culture with commerce, strengthening brand loyalty beyond transactional relationships. By framing ageing not as an obstacle but as an opportunity for innovation, the retail industry can connect, include, and create enduring relevance in a world where longevity defines the future of consumption.

Conclusion: the next strategic mandate?

A future shaped by longer lifespans and shifting demographics demands a deeper commitment to normalising healthy ageing as part of everyday life, not just as a market trend. Rather than positioning older consumers as an isolated segment, department stores can serve as cultural and commercial hubs that integrate ageing into their narratives by highlighting wellness, vitality, and lived experience across all age groups. Embracing intergenerational programming, experiential retail, and nostalgic storytelling, these spaces can connect generations through shared cultural touchpoints, knowledge exchange, and collaborative participation. Such approaches move beyond the narrow ambition of attracting youth toward cultivating environments where the presence and participation of older adults are seen as enriching for everyone. In doing so, department stores retain their relevance as inclusive institutions capable of bridging generational divides, fostering community, and reframing ageing as a valued stage of life.

Credits: IADS (Anchita Ranka)