Healthy Ageing and Service: How Smart Technologies Can Help Serve The Last Growth Market
(A2025-123463)

AUTHORS

Darius-Aurel Frank, Aarhus University; Martina Čaić, Aalto University; Nina Veflen, BI Norwegian Business School; John Bateson, The Bayes Business School; Jochen Wirtz, NUS Business School/National University of Singapore

ABSTRACT

The World's population is ageing, and enabling healthy ageing has become a United Nations (UN) priority. In many parts of the world, the over-65s is the last growth market which offers unforeseen potential for those who adopt a fresh perspective on ageing consumers. This conceptual paper discusses how service firms can utilise smart technologies to enhance customer well-being within this expanding segment. We illustrate the market's attractiveness, introduce healthy ageing as a distinct stage of adulthood associated with physical, cognitive, and social-emotional changes, and propose ways in which smart technologies can improve older adults' customer journeys in both hedonic and utilitarian services across physical and digital encounters. This work guides service firms toward their fastest-growing segment by offering recommendations for better serving the evolving needs of healthy older consumers, thereby opening new avenues in service research on technology and healthy ageing.