Commentary

Ways To Increase Conversions From Seniors

Seniors are a rapidly growing segment in our society, and one of great potential value to marketers. According to the US Census Bureau, in the next five years alone, the population of those over 65 will increase by 40%, from 36.8 million to 51.7 million. By mid-century, the worldwide population of seniors is projected to triple. In the U.S., that could add up to 88.5 million people over 65, comprising 20% of the population.

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.

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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:

  • Keep the design clean, bold and uncluttered.

  • Limit the amount of information delivered in an email.

  • Use high-contrast type (black on white is best; pastel colored text and reversed-out type are generally poor).

  • Design with larger than normal text sizes, and/or allow users to increase the text size (on the Web) with a simple click on a plus and minus icon.

  • Ensure your emails and Web pages scale nicely using the "Control +" feature in browsers.

  • Provide a big target (button or large text) for links you want users to click. Motor skills erode over time, just as vision does. Pointing the mouse at a tiny piece of text and clicking can be an exercise in frustration for some seniors.

    Usability

    No discussion of email conversions can take place without considering the Web site and shopping cart experience. Here are some tips to help your senior customers complete their purchase online.

  • When you provide a link from a featured offer in an email, make sure that link goes directly to the offer on your Web site and not just to the home page. Having to search for a particular deal or product seen in the email is an additional obstacle for some users.

  • Simplify the checkout process. If possible, eliminate scrolling in online order forms and provide a meter or checklist of the number of steps in checkout at the top of each page.

  • Provide easy-to-see prompts for incorrectly filled forms.

  • Consider using images or icons for the shopping cart that reflect the offline shopping experience for recognition value.

  • 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.

  • 2 comments about "Ways To Increase Conversions From Seniors".
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    1. Cynthia Edwards from Razorfish, November 9, 2009 at 2:22 p.m.

      Hi Paula - totally agree - thanks for making that point! In terms of phones, my mother (85 and legally blind) has found success with the Jitterbug cell phone. Check it out!

    2. Chuck Nyren from Advertising to Baby Boomers, November 17, 2009 at 3:23 p.m.

      Some very good suggestions here. I'm not a fan of text-size widgets. If your web page is for Boomers or older, and you think you need a text-size widget, it means your fonts are too small. Just bump up the default font.

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