• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, November 30, 2007

Retirees Surf and Respond

According to the Vertis Communications 2007 Customer Focus Tech Savvy study, twenty-one percent of total adults in 2007 have responded to direct mail advertising in the past month by visiting a sender's Web site. Findings also revealed that older men's responsiveness to direct mail advertising through the Internet has grown the most, with 28 percent of men ages 55-64 indicating this behavior and 15 percent of men 65 and older exhibiting the same pattern.

Jim Litwin, vice president of market insights for Vertis Communications, noted that "...targeting the older population may greatly increase the overall effectiveness of marketers' spending, particularly as men reach retirement and find more time to surf the Web."

The study further shows that women ages 35-44 have been the most likely to change their cell phone providers throughout the years, with 22 percent planning to switch providers in the next year, compared to 13 percent in 2005. And, women who earn more than $30,000 per year switch mobile phone providers more often, with 16 percent planning to change in 2007, compared to 6 percent in 2005. Older men ages 55-64 have remained the most satisfied with their cell phone companies over time, as only 13 percent of respondents indicated plans to switch service in the next year, no change from 2005.

The study, which surveyed 2,000 consumers via telephone, provided additional details:

When expressing interest in a product or company, 55 percent of total adults prefer some form of interactive follow-up communication from the company, which include e-mails personalized to their needs, generic e-mails or text messaging

Key observations, according to the Executive Summary:

• Twenty-three percent of young men ages 18-24 are the most open to follow-up communication via text messaging,versus 5 percent of women their same age and 6 percent of total adults
• Women 65 and older are the least interested in personalized or generic follow-up e-mails.
• Forty percent of men 65 and older prefer an interactive e-mail from a company they have expressed interest in, compared to 23 percent of their female counterparts
• While 91 percent of men ages 25-34 have access to the Internet according to Vertis' study, 56 percent of these men do not read e-mail advertising
• For women earning more than $75,000 a year, overall e-mail readership has increased during the past two years to 50 percent in 2007
• While only 1 percent of total adults read all e-mail advertising available to them, 20 percent occasionally read e-mails personalized to them
• Twenty-eight percent of young men ages 18-24 would consider receiving investment advice through the Internet, compared to 13 percent of women their same age
• Twenty percent of men earning $75,000 or more each year would consider using financial products, services or receiving investment advice online, compared to 13 percent of total adults 
• Women earning between $30,000 and $50,000 per year are least likely to consider receiving financial or investment advice online, at 8 percent, down from 11 percent in 2003

For more details and complete charts in PDF format, please visit Vertis here.