Last week, we examined the differences in coffee app behavior and use by gender (see: Coffee Apps a Greater Hit with Women than with Men). In continuing with our analysis of Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, let’s take a look at how coffee app use differs by age group.

AppOptix categorizes panelists by four distinct age groups: <=25, 26-35, 36-45, and 46+. As the data will show, incidence rates and daily engagement for these two coffee apps are largely driven by the latter two groups.

In particular, the 36-45 age group holds a substantive lead over the other three age groups in terms of incidence (or app penetration) rates for both apps. This finding is a break from the conventional wisdom of younger crowds being the app-heavy users and the most willing to incorporate smartphones into their everyday affairs. This is, however, consistent with studies that show people in their forties, fifties, and sixties drink more coffee on average than people in their twenties and thirties (Zagat, 2015).

Daily Engagement Stats

Just as women and men show different daily engagement practices between the two apps, so too do the age groups. Starbucks sees the majority of its daily engagement with the 46+ crowd, followed by the 36-45 group. While the 36-45 age group holds a steady lead in engagement for Dunkin’ Donuts, the 46+ group actually shows the lowest daily engagement numbers. Despite this distinction, it’s clear that these apps are by and large more popular with older consumers than with younger.