These days, I’ve been spending an awful lot of time helping get my mom on the Internet. I’ve been putting it off for awhile. But now is the time. Her first grandchild lives with me and grandma wants to see some pictures and videos.
(In case you were wondering, this is not my mom)
And what I found out was, she’s not alone.
According to a report from the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, while fewer Seniors are online than other generation groups, the ones that are online are extremely active.
In fact, Seniors (65+) lead all other generation groups when it comes to shopping online – 77% of them do so regularly. They also regularly use email (94%), look to the Web for health and medical information (71%) and manage their finances and banking (59%).
And Seniors are certainly not far behind in technology adoption. While Gen Y enjoys a 96% adoption rate of cell phones, Seniors aren’t far behind at 80%. And the gap is even closer with things like a digital camera (Gen Y: 85%, Seniors: 77%).
The one area where seniors have been slow to adopt are…you guessed it, social networking. According to SeniorJournal.com, only 7% of Seniors have a profile on a social networking site – well below the average of 35% of all adult Internet users and
My own experience with my mom wasn’t too far from what’s happening in the marketplace. When I asked her what she wanted to do online. Here’s what I got:
1) See pictures and video of baby
2) Email said pictures and video of baby to relatives, mostly back in Korea
3) Watch Korean TV dramas on websites like www.naver.com
Zero interest in social networking (unless it was links to see pictures, which may not be that different from the rest of us), but email was high on the list. I can’t see her managing finances and banking online anytime soon, so maybe she’s part of the 40% who won’t for now.
So knowing these facts about our audience, coupled with our own experiences, keep these things in mind as you consider your digital strategy to connect with Seniors:
How should websites be designed differently for this audience? Particularly if your brand attracts an older audience, consider usability testing to help your developer understand how the site needs to be architected and designed to appeal and be user-friendly to an older audience. My own experience trying to navigate my mom around busy, cluttered sites was extremely difficult – and simple ones like Leica’s site were instrumental in helping her understand how to navigate around sites.
Does the fact that boomers are getting older mean this is a more important issue? While social networking has really only caught on in the last few years, as Boomers get older, they’re going to have much more experience and comfort with social features. They’re also going to be the most online-savvy audience we’ve seen yet (and obviously a trend that will continue on with subsequent generations). Think about ways to learn more about the first wave of Boomers that transition to Senior life and how the online world affects their lives.
What do seniors want online? If you’re really bold, you might look to see when your local community college or recreation center puts on Internet 101 classes for Seniors and see if you can attend one. Observe – see what they gravitate towards and what turns them off. And consider that accordingly to a 2009 study from AARP, 1/3 of people 75 and older live alone. While social networking use is low now, according to comScore, “among older people who went online last year, the number visiting social networks grew almost twice as fast as the overall rate of Internet use among that group.” And according to Antonina Bambina, a sociologist at the University of Southern Indiana, trends point to current Seniors and the next wave of Boomers growing up to see online networks to be a place where they can make new connections, feel empowered and talk to others in similar situations without having to ask friends and family for yet more help.
The future for my mom
So what does the future hold for my mom and the Internet? Well, baby steps. It’s been a bit stressful getting to this point. But I can see her getting into some online shopping, at least to browse different products. It will certainly be difficult with all the complicated navigation structures out there but over time, I’m sure she’ll get the hang of it. And using things like Google Maps/Streetview probably isn’t far off either. As she explores the Web, I’m expecting to be intrigued by having her share what she finds online with me. The Internet, as seen through the eyes of a senior – what will she find compelling? I’m looking forward to finding out.
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