Not just for the young: older consumers and experiential consumption

Existing research on experiential consumption has often focused on youthful, able-bodied consumers; this approach has rendered older consumers invisible or marginalised when discussing experiential consumption. This paper challenges this dominant narrative by developing a conceptual framework that repositions older consumers as active participants in experiential consumption. Drawing on Jaakkola's model-based approach to conceptual research, we synthesised literature from existing research to problematise the ableist and youth-centric assumptions and developed a multi-level conceptual model. Our model illustrates how the experiential consumption of older consumers is shaped by the interplay of macro-level ideologies, meso-level contexts, and micro-level dimensions of embodiment, identity, and agency. We contribute to a growing body of scholarship that challenges conventional assumptions about ageing and consumption, and offer directions for future research.