Most baby boomers are online shoppers
When thinking of ecommerce and mcommerce, many retail industry professionals may immediately imagine millennials and Generation X as the channels' top users. As these two groups were born into a world heavily invested in technology, it makes sense that they would use it while shopping. But eMarketer recently revealed that baby boomers are also an important demographic for online sales.
Among the generation, nearly nine out of 10 consider themselves tech-savvy and have also purchased an item through the Web. According to a McAfee study, most of these consumers spend about 5 hours online per day, only one hour less than individuals age 10 to 23. Additionally, 97 percent of boomers use the Internet daily and 80 percent of them are members of social networks.
Emarketer also noted that eight in 10 baby boomers engage in Internet-based banking and pay their bills online. Despite perceptions to the contrary, baby boomers are highly connected and can be reached across multiple channels.
Connected, but still traditional in tech use
While baby boomers will buy products online, their device preferences still skew toward traditional methods. The generation spends most of their time on the Web through desktops (73 percent) and laptops (58 percent), while they access digital content through their smartphones (28 percent) and tablets (22 percent) much less. However, most consumers still don't own tablets and many have not purchased a smartphone. Ownership among all demographics is on the rise, though. So while the technology has not yet filtered to the majority of boomers, this may change as overall adoption of the devices increases.
With consumers of all ages turning to the Internet for their purchases, merchants should deploy robust ecommerce software solutions that cater to a mostly untapped market. Ecommerce still makes up only a small percentage of total online sales, so retailers should only expect further growth in the coming years, and they should not discount any age group as they try to reach a larger consumer base.
Merchants should also recognize that the industry is becoming increasingly omnichannel and adapt accordingly. As more people grow accustomed to financial transactions online, which many boomers already are, retailers should have key delivery options, inventory management and other strategies in place that work within the Web-based sales environment. Promotions directed through social media also have a high chance of reaching all consumers. These should factor into ongoing strategies.
