• by Sarah Mahoney , Yesterday

Whether they’re Doc Martens loyalists, nose-ring pioneers or just channeling Nirvana or Jay-Z, Gen X has long believed in its own kind of cool. They’ve also felt—rightfully so—overlooked by most marketers. Now 45 to 60, they resent that retailers keep focusing on everyone else: the fast-shrinking boomers, higher-earning millennials and digital-native Gen Z-ers.

New research from the ICSC shows how neglected they are—and how much brands are missing. People born between 1965 and 1980 have the highest revenue per shopper across almost every category. At just 19% of the U.S. population, they drive 31% of all in-store and online spending, says Stephanie Cegielski, ICSC’s vice president for research and PR.

She tells Marketing Daily she was skeptical when the research began, despite being a Gen Xer herself. “I was even a latchkey kid. But we’re so often forgotten, it was a bit of a shock to find out that this group is doing a third of all the spending right now.”

The study analyzed $5 trillion in in-store and online purchases across 426 retailers over five years, revealing the generation’s unique challenges. About 74% are caregivers, juggling aging parents and not-quite-independent kids. “They’re parenting up and parenting down,” Cegielski says. And 76% say that fact has significantly affected spending.

And thrifting, a trend younger consumers sometimes think they invented? Nope. Gen X spends double what Gen Z and millennials do on secondhand apparel.

And despite their apathetic reputation (remember “Daria?”) they are actually a bit more optimistic than boomers, and far more upbeat than Gen Z. While long lines and stock issues make them crankier than other cohorts, more than half say their brand loyalty has strengthened in the past five years, even as younger shoppers drift.

They love pragmatic tools that enhance convenience, with 80% using self-checkout kiosks regularly, and two-thirds relying on mobile apps and social platforms to discover or purchase products.

In fact, influencer marketing is one of the most neglected areas: While 92% of Xers use social media daily, only 5% of influencer budgets are directed at them. Cegielski sees this changing, with brands like E.L.F., marketing more directly to Gen X women. And a growing chorus of menopause marketers, including Stripes Beauty, founded by Gen X actor Naomi Watts, are looking to build relationships.

There are also disconnects. They continue to feel overlooked in the workplace, as retiring boomers looked to millennials as the future. And while Gen X is deeply worried about retirement and how they’ll support themselves, they’re not doing much about it.

“They feel squeezed and stressed,” Cegielski says. “They’re worried about retirement and supporting their families—but they’re still spending.”