More people over the age of 55 use the internet now than people under 25, according to the latest research report from the British Population Survey. Even Bill Gates, who conceived the equipment we use, and Tim Berners-Lee, who conceived the Internet itself, are both now 55 and ‘Silver Surfers’ themselves.
The under 25’s, the ‘iLifer’ generation who have never experienced life without the internet, are driving some of the newer uses of the Internet such as online gaming, music & movie downloading, and social networking (which itself grew by over 250% in the last two years).
But it is the older ages that dominate Search and Shopping, with 3 over 55’s shopping online for every 2 under 25’s.
This is of course good news, since this sector has greater spending power than the young….
They’re also spending more time on social media than ever before. Another US study revealed that social media use among users age 50-64 has increased a whopping 88% from this time last year, from 25% to 47%. Meanwhile, use among those age 65 and older doubled, from 13% in April 2009 to 26% in May 2010.
Good news for retailers and why it’s vitally important they have a strong online presence across Google search, Website/e-Store and Social media channels. It’s also important to tailor website/store content to ensure it appeals not just to the young, but the young at heart…