4 Tips On Attracting Elder Generation to Your E-Commerce Business

Elder generation would always tell you that they had eaten salt more than you have eaten rice. It is an analogy to reflect that they have been dealing with more experiences than you do. Technologies that are ready today might oppose to their way of life. But, they are right.

Ever since the surge of e-commerce, we have been fed with the idea of attracting teens and people in their twenties. These are the people who own the most electronic devices, the most comfortable with technology and do the most online buying. Hence, that leads to the thought that they are the key-players.

As the idea being implemented into our mindset, we are actually missing out on the big segment of customers who are known to be loyal to only few brands. The buying and online habits are dominated by millennials, but it is rather small compared to the buying power wielded by baby boomers.

Why target baby boomers?

Born between 1955 and 1965, these 50-, 60-, and 70-something consumers tend to be ignored by advertisers and merchants. Most of the product offered are young shoppers focused.

So, why should you change your mindset? Because, quite simply there are a lot of them and they are the one with stable financial. In comparison to millennials, baby boomer have more buying power and they have no reluctant on spending their money.

Here are 4 tips on attracting elder generation to your e-commerce business:

1. Skip the hard sell

When trying to attract baby boomers, it is best if you exclude hard selling from your strategy. Hard selling is considerably less effective than creating a memorable brand experience. These consumers are not easy to persuade, so it is better if you engage with them directly.

They love to take time before buying something. Within that time, they want to interact about the product, the benefit of it and sometimes, they just want to have a conversation with you.

So, don’t be pushy because that will only push them away.

2. Benefits first

With the proliferation of online product reviews and peer recommendations, it’s becoming more important than ever to highlight how your product can solve problem rather than focusing on its features or specifications.

Baby boomers are smart. They know what they want and they are not afraid to pay for it. To them, a product’s value lies on its outcome, they tend to focus on how the product can help them or solve their problem.

Don’t be surprised if they don’t buy your well-designed, up-to-date and fancy products because they rarely bother about the looks.

3. Communication is the key

Persuading baby boomers to your e-commerce business is not that hard. Aside from the mentioned things, you need a good communication.

When attracting them with advertisements, make sure you include contact information such as phone number, an email address or social media link on your website or marketing material. Position those information where it’s easy to find and make it clear. No baby boomers have time to play “Where’s Waldo?” with your information.

Prior to information, you also need to respond promptly when they reach you out with a question. Keep in mind, baby boomers usually ask a lot of questions. So, attend to them thoroughly.

4. An elderly friendly website or application (apps)

Recently, Taobao, the Alibaba-backed online retailer, has launched a customized version of its apps for elderly users. It offers larger interface and linkable to relative’s account so that the account is viewable by children to pay for the items ordered by the parents.

While most companies are still putting the pieces on how to capture millennials market, Taobao has already one step ahead on focusing on senior citizens.

To gain access to this market segment, you should consider on customizing your apps or website to be flexible and easy to use for elderly and other untapped segments. Baby boomers are rarely tech-savvy. Most of the time, they are known to access only the conventional website like Facebook and e-mails.

It would be more interesting for them to shop on your website if you provide them with information that can guide them throughout their time on your website like a live chat.

To discover how Razer Merchant Services can help you expand your payment options and increase sales, schedule a free appointment with our team today.