Over-65s to drive American e-commerce growth
Author: Rob Clapp. Source: Warc
An overview of consumers in the United States who plan to shop online more in the following month during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Nearly half (45.7%) of Americans aged over-65 say they plan to shop online more over the next month.
Just one-fifth (18.9%) of 18-24 year-olds say the same.
Women over the age of 65 are driving this increase – half (51.8%) plan to shop online more compared to one-third (33.8%) of men over 65.
Nearly half (45.7%) of Americans aged 65 and over say they plan to shop online more in the next month, according to data from Savanta analysed by WARC Data. This is the largest share among all age groups during wave four of the twice-weekly survey, contacted in the middle of April.
Consumers aged between 55 and 64 also show a strong interest in shopping online in the coming month, with half of this group (48.9%) planning more e-commerce activity during the third wave. Those aged 45–54 follow the trend of the 65+ group, at more than two-fifths (43.1%) in wave four.
In contrast, the 18–24 year-old group appears to have reached its peak for e-commerce. Just one-fifth (18.9%) said they plan to shop online more over the next month, the lowest share recorded across every age and wave.
Female consumers aged 65 and over are driving this increase, with half (51.8%) planning to shop online more over the next month. This compares to one-third (33.8%) among men of the same age cohort.
A large female-male gap is also visible among the 18–24 year-old group, where women are more than twice as likely to increase online shopping activity in the near-future.
Older audiences are particularly attractive to marketers as Baby Boomers are least likely to see an impact on their income as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Marketers may struggle to reach this audience, though; Boomers are discovering brands through linear TV and website ads, two channels facing substantial cuts in advertising spend.
As greater use of e-commerce among older audiences may last after the outbreak ends, brands should be optimising for online shopping now with as long-term a view as possible.