When we talk about technology use, we tend to think about what Millennials are buying, what Gen Z is into, and the effects it has on children. When we think about older adults, specifically those aged 50 and up, the articles start to address safety and mobility issues, fraud protection, and assisted living gadgets.
But here’s the thing, people over 50 are a huge, diverse market for tech. Not all of them fit the mold of less-than-savvy grandparent just using technology to keep in touch with the kids. They are embracing technology from wearables to social media to video games at a steady pace and according to a 2018 AARP survey, they’ll spend over $84 billion a year on technology products over the next 10 years.
Today, 91% of American adults aged 50+ report having a computer and over 80% between the ages of 50 and 64 report having smartphones. While the majority of older adults use technology to keep in touch with friends and family, let’s explore just a few of the unexpected ways in which this growing demographic engages with tech.
Gaming
In 2016, AARP and the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) commissioned a survey on the gaming habits of Americans over 50 and discovered some trends that might surprise you. This isn’t some cute “gaming grannies” phenomenon.
The survey of almost 3000 Americans found that 38% of adults aged 50+ play video games, with 59% playing on computer and laptops and 57% using mobile phones. And they don’t just play games – they play frequently; 4 in 10 said they played a game every day and those over 60 were most likely to be frequent players.
Ok, so they’re not typically playing Fortnite, but the booming game industry is comprised of a lot more than that. The most popular games were card/tile games (excluding gambling and poker) (46%) and puzzle/logic games (44%), and the 50+ crowd is willing to spend money to play. 22% had made a game-related purchase in the past 6 months. And it’s not all Angry Birds and Words with Friends – 22% of adults over 50 reported owning a video game console.
To top it off, it’s women who are playing the majority of these games, and they do it to have fun. 40% of women over 50 are gamers and for all those between 50 and 70, fun is the number one reason they play. And for anyone who thinks older adults are just trying to find something to bond over with their grandkids, only 8% of these gamers report playing a video game with a child in person and 4% online; 86% play solo games and 24% play online games with other adults.
Social Media
A large number of adults over 50 use their computers and devices for social media – 71% to be exact. An increasing number (94%) say that they use devices to keep in touch with people and 43% of that group uses social media to do it on a daily basis.
While a Pew Research survey from 2018 shows that those in the 18-20 age range are still the most avid social media users, usage among those aged 50-64 has grown enormously over the last few years to 64% (users 65 and over have also grown, but to a much more modest 37%).
Facebook is far and away the most popular platform, used by 65% of U.S. adults 50-64 and 41% of those over 65.
Online shopping
Pointing out that people over 50 have more disposable income than other age groups is music to the ears of marketers who want to find new ways to target them. But setting aside their status as marks for advertisers, we’ve seen a sharp increase in online shopping in older age groups. In the U.S. alone, online shopping is a $460 billion industry and according to Verto Analytics, shoppers aged 55-74 made up 31% of buyers. In some cases, the statistics are difficult to parse for shoppers over 50 since the oldest of the Gen X population is now in their 50s.
And lest you think women are leading the e-commerce revolution, it’s worth noting that because men tend to spend more per purchase online, they spend more money online overall and are more likely to do it via their smartphones.
While those aged 45-55 tend to be the most frequent online shoppers, as of 2018, over 50% of men and women over 65 had made a purchase online in the last year. While social media trends are targeting generations with less discretionary income – see Instagram’s new plan to focus on e-commerce – many retailers are missing out on the opportunity to reach out to customers with the means to buy big ticket items. At a time when disposable fashion is growing but under increased scrutiny for the environmental damage it causes, it will be interesting to see if marketers took the wrong route when choosing to target Gen Y with low-cost clothing and accessories.
Opportunities, not targets
As the population ages, it makes sense to not just target but to truly cater to an older population in the tech sphere and not simply for health and elder care technology. Assuming that people over 50 who are interested in tech are only in need of healthcare devices or remedial instructions of how to use technology ignores the fact that a huge number of Americans over 50 have long used the Internet, smartphones, tablets, and other tech devices.
While it’s important to make a variety of tech devices and information available to older adults, seeing them as needy or helpless ignores the billions of dollars and hours they spend doing the same things every other age group does. They’re shoppers, gamers, avid social media users, as well as consumers of new devices coming out in the beauty, fitness, security, travel, and transportation realms. Tech companies dismiss them at their own risk.
