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Online marketing to over 50's Posts
Do the Oldies matter?
May 16th, 2009
‘The fastest-growing group using the Internet are the over fifty-fives’.
That’s fact apparently. Although I don’t come under this category (!) we need to look seriously at an ageing population and the online marketing implications going forward. My 81 year old father-in-law is online at least 2 hours a day and is far more adept than some I have seen at half his age!
Take for example Figleaves, an online underwear site, which is now launching an underwear range specifically aimed at the 30 and 40-something women who buy its bras. No longer is online for youth. The average age at the video library site VideoJug is 40, and higher still for the cooking section of the site.
Some of the most successful sites relish in their mature customer base. Take Glassesdirect, for example, where Jamie Murray, it’s founder and CEO says ‘we’re concrete proof of the rise of the silver surfer – they have been integral to our growth’. And then what about the highly successful and profitable John Lewis site, which wouldn’t get my 20 year old anywhere near it!
Buying wine online also appeals to an older age group, as has been seen by Laithwaites Wines. They are selling online to people well into their 60’s and 70’s. But the marketing channels will be very different from those of a much younger age group.
Whereas there is little point in emailing under 30’s this has to be the route for an older customer. This younger group communicate almost exlusively through social networking sites – Facebook, MySpace and now Twitter, although it seems inevitable that this way of communicating will become the norm across the age spectrum. SAGA is apparently looking at setting up their own social networking site, so this is only around the corner.
But one word of warning – Spam is just as irritating whether 18 or 80.