A study by Focalyst shows that seniors (62+) using the Internet today have higher purchase intents than younger segments do, in major categories such as travel, CPG, entertainment and pharmaceuticals. What's more, seniors who do use the Internet have almost double the income and are twice as likely to have gone to college and still be working and married, than those who are not connected.

There are other considerations about this huge demographic that should make them interesting to email marketers. As people grow older, shopping in brick and mortar stores often becomes more difficult due to the frailties that accompany aging. Shopping on the Web can be a more attractive alternative to seniors than making their way to the mall or megastores.

So how can you help turn seniors' purchase intent into dollars for your business? Some modifications of your emails and online shopping experience can take you a long way towards this goal.

Visibility

Even though people are living longer, the aging process still takes it toll. Vision begins to change as early as age 40, which is when most people find they need either longer arms or reading glasses. With the body text in many emails and Web pages set at 8 points, a large number of people have trouble reading it. Some ways to make your emails and Web pages more readable are:

Place a toll-free customer service number on each page to enable users having difficulties to complete their transaction.

Email acquisitions

Seniors may have found your site from a search, so make it easy for them to sign up for your emails. Place the email signup in a prominent place on the home page, navigation bars, or order confirmation page, as well as in transactional emails. Make it simple -- let your Web visitors know the value of signing up for your emails, don't ask them to come up with a username in the registration process, avoid using CAPTCHA challenges, and never ask for financial information. And of course, best practices apply in offering a choice of topics the senior is interested in hearing from you about.

There is no need to dumb down your marketing when addressing a senior population. Remember, connected seniors are probably college educated and definitely have more work and life experience than you or I. Some thoughtful modification may be all that is needed to increase conversions and keep your senior customers satisfied.

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