In this study among camping tourists of all age groups between 19 and 86 years of age
Konstantin Wellner compares key characteristics regarding innovative behavior of different age
groups. The focus of the analysis is on the so-called Silver Market segment (consumers of at
least 55 years) which gains importance to the demographic shift. Generally older users are
still actively innovating especially if it relates to age-specific improvements (e.g. comfort
and compatibility to other equipment). Analysis by a Structural Equation Model showed that the
most important determinant of innovative behavior for older users is technical expertise and
that being relatively ahead of trends increases their dissatisfaction with existing products.
Additional evidence was found that user with high use experience suffer from functional
fixedness.
