Smart technologies for healthy aging: conceptual and methodological considerations and research directions

Purpose The service landscape is constantly evolving. To better serve their customers, firms must adapt to emerging trends and seize opportunities. Among these trends is the growing aging population, while a key opportunity lies in adopting technologies in service encounters. This viewpoint article builds on Wirtz et al. (2025) and offers a complementary view on the (1) who, (2) what and (3) how of using smart technologies for healthy aging customers. Design/methodology/approach The author outlines conceptual and methodological considerations and highlights avenues for future research in the nascent field of smart technologies for the elderly. Findings The author adopts a complementary view by (1) broadening the consumer perspective to include the elderly’s social circle and service delivery networks (=who), (2) reflecting upon what “better serving” might entail by both learning for and from the elderly (=what) and (3) exploring how service providers can effectively utilize smart technologies to better serve these customers and their networks (=how). Originality/value By zooming in on the who, what and how of smart technologies for healthy aging customers, this viewpoint article complements the paper by Wirtz et al. (2025).