While 76% of over 65s rely on online shopping, accessibility remains a big issue, with only 12% feeling like they’re ‘understood’ by businesses they shop with.
Research by customer engagement platform Twilio, finds that personalisation in customer contact is key, but it needs to take into account demographics, age and comms preferences as much as what people shop for.
The over 65s, it says, are a powerful, high spending group, who are very digtally savvy. However, their communications options are often not met by the companies they shop with. Meanwhile, more accessible methods of communication, like phone or email, are also often phased out in a drive for digital transformation, without consideration for the diversity of needs from different customer groups and the complexity of some customer support situations.
Use of modern technologies like chatbots should be judicious, and businesses must digitise with consideration of every customer’s needs.
Don’t hold the phone
The majority of consumers in the over 65 group indicated that they find it hard to get in touch with companies, because many organisations do not design their customer engagement with the nuances of different demographics in mind. Significantly, 85% of consumers over 65 said they would rather speak to someone over the phone compared to other methods.
That said, 16% from this demographic are happy to use technology channels such as chatbots and apps to interact with brands. Businesses should therefore analyse the feedback and data customers share to ensure they offer every customer the options that best suit them.
“Trust between business and customer is crucial, particularly in challenging economic times, and building that trust with tailored, personalised communication is key,” says Sam Richardson, Principal Visioneering Consultant at Twilio. “Customer engagement needs to be inclusive in order to be effective, and good old fashioned phone calls don’t need to fall by the wayside in an effort to modernise – in fact, all age groups find them useful for chatting through more complex problems. While in-app chat and SMS are useful for delivery updates and might perfectly suit more digital-native audiences, businesses should also think about what people with accessibility needs require from them.”
Missed opportunity
Failing to cater to the over 65 demographic also represents a missed business opportunity because they make up such a prominent portion of the online retail market. The 18-24 bracket is notably more likely never to shop online compared to over 65s: only 6% of consumers over 65 said that they never do their shopping online, compared to 30% of 18-24 year olds. Similarly, over half (51%) of over 65s read or keep hold of digital marketing communications.
But a lack of consideration is creating a trust barrier with older consumers, including when it comes to marketing. Half (50%) of shoppers over 65 didn’t know where brands got their contact details from, while one in five indicated that they believe brands only care about their money. This contrasts with younger consumers, who feel more understood as an audience, but are actually not as engaged with internet purchases.
“Older demographics are clearly more interested in regular brand engagement online compared to younger consumers,” continues Richardson. “As this older age bracket continues to grow in an ageing population, brands need to be better prepared to cater to older consumers digitally. This means reflecting customer preferences in available communication methods, as well as using first-party data – data collected consensually from customers – to deliver accurate, personalised experiences that make customers feel heard and understood. Technologies like customer data platforms can translate this data into insights, and this provides businesses valuable direction as to what customers actually want.”
Inclusive engagement promotes trust and loyalty
Though companies dedicate a lot of time to getting to know their customers, data shows that many older consumers feel overlooked by the ways businesses engage with them, which is diminishing loyalty. Only one third (32%) of respondents over 65 feel like valued customers, 15% feel that brands care about them, and only 10% feel that they represent the main target audience when it comes to marketing communications.
Delivering thoughtful engagement to alleviate this demographic’s concerns on trust can strengthen customer relationships and ensure accessibility isn’t a barrier to better understanding. Ultimately, this will also positively benefit businesses’ bottom lines.
