The purpose of the survey was to understand the joint and individual
habits of mature couples in making a range of purchasing decisions on technology
products and services.
Among the findings are that Boomers report independent purchase
behavior, many mature consumers self-identify as being tech-savvy, and Boomer
women report the important role technology plays in their lives.
Highlight findings on the subject of lifestyle are:
· A TV in the bedroom is more important than regular
sex for Boomer women: Conventional wisdom was reflected in responses to sex
within a couple/spousal relationship, as women’s interest in sex is linked
to and parallels their feelings about their relationship. Sex was ranked more
important to men regardless of how they ranked their feelings of closeness toward
their partner. In response to the question “What would you not be willing
to give up?” both Boomer and Generation Ike2 female respondents said it
was “television in the bedroom” versus the males’ top response
that it was “sex on a regular basis”.
· Boomers reporting more independent purchase behavior:
Boomers within a couple/spousal relationship report more independent purchasing
behavior, which declines significantly with age and in the Ike generation. The
more independent the Boomer partners are, the more money they spend without
consulting each other. This is notable in product categories such as electronics.
“Ten years ago when we were more focused on the WWII cohort
as the senior consumer, we made many assumptions in our targeting about who
led the decisions in a household and who influenced decisions, and therefore
how to talk with those consumers,” said Lori Bitter, President, Continuum
Crew. “In most categories, we were targeting a male head of household
with influence from his wife. We have seen a shift as the financial power of
Boomer women has grown – they have something their foremothers didn’t
have – access to education, opportunities and careers. The balance of
household power is shifting and with this survey we wanted to understand if
couples are really shopping for big-ticket items together or acting as individual
consumers, particularly as electronics have become more personal, and how and
what couples will spend individually without consulting their spouse.”
Some of the highlight findings on respondents’
technology savvy are:
· Mature consumers consider themselves to be tech-savvy:
38% of Boomers and 39% of Ikes consider themselves to be very tech-savvy, ranking
themselves as a 7 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being most savvy and 1
the least). Those who self-report being “tech-savvy” are most likely
to recommend and/or refer products to others.
· More Boomer men than women think they are tech-savvy:
For Boomers and all younger age cohorts, men were more likely to say they are
very tech-savvy than women. Interestingly, Ike women were the only generation
in the study to indicate they are as tech-savvy as the males in their cohort.
40% of Ike women said they are very tech-savvy versus 39% of Ike men. For Boomers
40% of men consider themselves to be very tech-savvy versus only 35% of women.
Some of the highlight findings on respondents’
most valued technology products and services are:
· The Internet is the most valued service: 60% of both
Boomers and Ikes say broadband connection at home was the most essential media
service. Another 31% of Boomers and 26% of Ikes say it is “nice to have”
but not an absolute necessity. Other common items included a wireless internet
connection, a laptop, a digital camera, the Home and Garden Television (HGTV)
channel and a global positioning system (GPS) device.
· Ike women care more about technology than Ike men:
More than twice as many Ike women than men ranked a laptop as essential, and
more than three times more for other items such as a GPS device and a digital
camera. These items were also ranked higher in necessity among Boomer women
versus Boomer men. Ike women are also more likely to say that they cannot live
without a home broadband connection than any other cohort, including Boomers,
Generation X3, or Generation Y4.
In interpreting the responses about respondents’ most
valued technology products and services, that women care more about technology
than men speaks to the importance of the role technology products and services
play in their daily lives. This is truer for Ike women than any other generation.
“An important implication for marketers is that men and
women are likely to respond differently to consumer electronics and personal
tech device product advertising,” said Bitter. “While men may be
early adopters and have a lot of interest in product features, women are much
more likely to care about the product benefits and the way those benefits are
conveyed. Women need to understand more explicitly how a technology product
will make their life better or easier. The supposition, although it stills warrants
further testing, is that once that product becomes integral to their lives,
women are more reliant on it and may be more inclined to upgrade or remain loyal.
The difference in use and importance of technology in older consumers’
lives has valuable marketing implications. When coupled with the willingness
to make separate purchase decisions this information enables marketers to create
a powerful sales model for their target consumer.”
The survey report Mature Consumer Behavior and Purchase
Decisions on Consumer Electronics and Personal Technology Products is available
for download at Lori Bitter’s blog, Boomers in the Wild (www.boomersinthewild.com).
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