Historically thrifty senior citizens have been of little interest to marketers but the 76 million boomers born between1946 and 1964 account for about half of all US consumer spending. Now rapidly turning 65, boomers are an affluent group used to asking for and getting what they want. Marketing experts think they will keep spending money.
This is a group that expects a longer life expectancy and wants to remain fit and active as they move into retirement. In order to meet their needs, many companies are adjusting product lines. Carefully adjusting. That's because it seems that Boomers must be handled gently. You do not want to suggest to this group that they are ... well, to be horridly blunt, getting old. This is a group that prefers to identify more with their children than with their parents: trendy and modern, focused on maintaining a good quality of life.
Very quietly, adjustments are being made. Typeface is getting bigger... store shelves are being made more accessible... packaging colors are being modified for aging eyes that don't see some colors well (yellow and blue). Products are being made easier to hold. Disposable coffee cups are growing handles; canisters, indentations, Packages are being made easier to open with shortened lid rotations.
In order not to offend boomers, euphemisms are flourishing. Adult diapers are looking more like normal underwear with "extra protection". The bathroom grab bar is now a "belay shower handrail" (named for the rock climbing tool). ADT is marketing "companion services".
A third of boomers expect to move and downsize into new homes. Since moving often involves decorating, companies selling products like paint and wallpaper are renovating their stores to make them friendlier to aging clients. Softer lighting, comfortable chairs, and even coffee service. Settle in and sit a spell.....
Even reading glasses are getting snazzier to please stylish boomers.
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