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Strong Internet Use by Tomorrow's Seniors Means Big
Changes for Market
May 19, 2005 - Marketers and the media are waking
up to the power of older consumers online, as the oldest baby boomers
prepare to turn 60 in 2006, says eMarketer in a news release touting
their new Seniors Online report, which analyzes the changing usage
patterns of the older adult and senior online populations.
Today, two-thirds of adults ages 50-64 use the
Internet, compared with 28% of those 65 and older, according to
eMarketer.
"The current generation of adults over 65 hasn't
fully adopted Internet use, in large part because many had retired
before online access became common in the workplace," says Debra Aho
Williamson, eMarketer Senior Analyst and author of the report.
"While today's seniors are a cautious bunch online,
the next generation of seniors is not," says Ms. Williamson. "They use
the Internet at home and at work, and they will carry those usage
patterns over into the next phase of their lives."
eMarketer estimates that in 2005 there are 33.2
million people online in the US between the ages of 50 and 64, triple
the number of 65+ online users. And unlike today's seniors, boomers are
dedicated Internet users and broadband fans. As boomers approach the
next phase of their lives, companies will be challenged to keep up with
their ever-demanding ways, both online and off.
The new report, "Seniors Online: How Aging Boomers
Will Shake Up the Market," is being released today. It finds “powerful
differences” in Internet usage between today's older Americans and the
current senior population. The report sells for $695.
Until recently, there was very little interest in
the idea of marketing to aging Baby Boomers—those post-World War II
children born between 1946 and 1964—online or off. Despite the fact that
the over-50 population is growing faster than the under-50s and Boomers
have $1 trillion in spending power, marketers have largely ignored them
as a target market, according to eMarketer.
In many ways, the Boomer demographic is a perfect
target for online marketing, the company says. They are frequent,
engaged online users and they are approaching a stage in life where
major issues–the decision to stop working, investment planning, health
care, downsizing a home–come to the fore. There are ways the Internet
can help Boomers prepare for these transitions.
Key questions the Seniors Online report addresses:
> How large are the older adult and senior
Internet populations?
> How fast is the Boomer online population
growing?
> How will usage patterns differ between today's
and tomorrow's seniors?
> What sites are Boomers most likely to visit?
> Why do financial services, health care and
real estate businesses need a strong Web strategy for older adults?
> What changes in Web design will be necessary
as Internet users age?
To purchase "Seniors Online: How Aging Boomers Will
Shake Up the Market," which is 27 pages with 62 graphs, go to
http://www.emarketer.com.
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