The “Silent Generation” takes a bite out of Apple!

Posted by on May 16, 2014 in Baby Boomers, Silent Generation | 0 comments

I’m always quizzing the salesforce and the trainers at the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York about who their customers are, and I consistently get the answer that it’s the 65 and older crowd – in other words, first-wave Baby Boomers (65 to 71) and the always-overlooked Silent Generation (72+).

According to a 2012 report by Forrester Research, about 60% of people, ages 65+, are more connected and tech-savvy than marketers ever suspected.  That’s 20 million people – with money. They love their smart phones, but they need your help using phones and tablets to access the Internet, go online, and buy and use apps.

So what do those seniors who are online do on the Web? Turns out, it’s not really that different from what you are doing. Just over 90%, for example, use email. 59% have purchased something online in the past three months, 49% have a Facebook account, 46% send and receive photos (mostly by email) and 44% play online games. Almost 60% of online seniors own a digital camera and 76% own printers.

To increase your business, market to increasingly tech-savvy Boomers and Silents – but remember, they have different values, attitudes, and lifestyles from America’s four other generations. Do you know the differences?

For more info on this wide-open market, keep learning about them at www.annfishman.com. Check out the Tweets and Blog entries.