How to sell to old people
Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 11:21AM Economist article on how Japan is learning to do this, and we watch Japan because it's farthest along in this demographic aging process:
Ueshima never explicitly describes itself as a coffee shop for the elderly. But it targets them relentlessly—and stealthily. Stealthily, because the last thing septuagenarians want to hear is that their favourite coffee shop is a nursing home in disguise.
Japan is greying fast: already a fifth of its people are over 65. And the “silver generation” has gold to spare. The incomes of middle-class working folk have declined in the past decade, but seniors are sitting on a vast pile of savings. Almost a third of the nation’s household wealth, some ¥450 trillion ($5.8 trillion), is in the hands of those aged 70 and older (see chart). In the West, the elderly pinch pennies, but Japan’s seniors pay extra . . .
Many firms tailor their services to silver shoppers without letting on, explains a marketing specialist . . . But inside there are chairs for weary shoppers. Signs are in large fonts. Many salespeople are in their 50s and 60s, since elderly customers trust such people more than whippersnappers. The food hall promotes good old-fashioned Japanese noodles more than newfangled foreign muck.
The shelves are lower, so older people can reach them. (Because of wartime food shortages, the elderly are much shorter than their juniors in Japan.) Loyalty cards at Keio award points not according to what you buy, but according to how often you visit. “Seniors have a lot of time on their hands,” the marketer explains.
Marketing to the elderly is tricky. The direct approach—say, calling your product “the soap for the over-70s”—does not work. And traditional advertising fails. “You can’t use TV adverts: they forget them,” groans the 30-something executive. “We show it again and again and again—and they still can’t recall it,” he sighs. Word-of-mouth is the only way.
Fascinating stuff. It'll be interesting to see how this translates to the US environment.
Reader Comments (2)
I will always be amazed by our humanity. Cater to someones needs perfectly, but call it the wrong thing, and you'll fail.
Reading this article reminded me of children not wanting to do something because it was for "little kids" or "babies". Even if it is good for them, or they enjoy it, they will refuse to participate. Another example that came to mind were macho men not wanting to do something they deem "gay".
Fascinating how our preconceptions and/or social awkwardness dictate our actions.
I was just handed a business card that I could barley read. The print was too small. Cadillac brags about a model that can do 160 miles per hour. Know anyone over 50 who wants to do 160 miles an hour?
My wife needs a husband now just to open jars or bottles. Sometimes I have to get my vice grip pliers to open some damn thing that is "child proof." A case of water at Costco weighs over 30 lbs. When cars had a "bench" seat in front you could actually turn around to look behind you when you were trying to back down a driveway. Now I feel like I'm in the cockpit of an F-16.
Don't get me started on movies or television. Seniors are completely written off by the music industry. Good thing I still have my Dylan and Baez albums.
No one markets to us except the evil pharmaceuticals. Wait, I forgot about the "Free Hearing Test" and the cheerful "What You Need to Know About Cremation" fliers.
Well, we can still vote...Florida excepted.