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Millennial Online Habits: Understanding the Next Generation of Home Buyers

By Dean Guadagni

Services for Real Estate Pros with Inner Architect

November 06, 2011 05:21 AM

A recent, excellent and instructive Pew Research survey showcasessome interesting results for marketers to consider. Although Millennials have been leading all online age group demographics in web, social networking usage, older generations are beginning to adopt and use at a rate that is encouraging. The following are points from the Pew survey about Millennial online habits and the shared online habits of each age demographic. Do you see any opportunities?

Millennial Online Habits

According tothe Pew survey (chart at bottom), Millennials are “more likely to access the internet wirelessly with a laptop or mobile phone.” In addition, they still clearly surpass their elders online when it comes to:

Reading blogs
Use of instant messaging
Use of social networking sites
Using online classifieds
Playing online games
Participating in virtual worlds
Listening to music

Shared Online Interests Across Demographic Age Groups

Yet there is a continuing change taking place as both Millennials and their elders are beginning to share some of the same interests in a way never seen in the past. The following are online activities that are becoming “uniformly” popular across all age groups:

Email
Search engine usage
Searching for health related information
Getting news, breaking news
Travel reservations, purchases
Buying products, services
Performing online banking
Seeking religious information
Giving to charities
Rating products, people, services
Downloading podcasts

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Melissa Ostrom & Melville Capps Newton MA - The Mel and Mel Team

(617) 388-3151 | Century 21 Commonwealth - Newton, MA

Dean, one thing we have noticed in the Millennials we know, because Melissa's children and their friends are in that demographic, is that they don't read their email accounts. They have them, but they rarely check their emails. They tend to only look at their Facebook accounts.

They often won't answer their cell phones either, but will quickly respond to a text message. Their MO seems to be "don't talk to me - type to me."

Melville Capps

Nov 06, 2011 06:19 AM

Eric Kodner

Madeline Island Realty - La Pointe, WI

CRS, Madeline Island Realty, LaPointe, WI 54850 -

The most interesting thing I noticed in the Pew study is the fact that Generation Xers (ages 34-45) and even older folks have now surpassed the Millennials, being more likely to "engage in several online activities, including visiting government websites and getting financial information online." Other age brackets seem to be gaining on the Millennials in their use of the Web relating to researching big-ticket purchases, such as the purchase of a home.

Nov 06, 2011 07:39 AM

Dean Guadagni

Inner Architect - San Rafael, CA

Melissa, thank you for sharing your findings! I have experienced the same thing- kids don't like email but they will text until their fingers bleed. What approach will you take with this generation as they slowly become prospects for your business?

Eric, you nailed it! Our perception is that the youngest generation is already "there" and using social media. That is just not the case. I spoke at the Business School at San Francisco State University 2 years ago. I was shocked at how unsophisticated this group was and how unconnected. The Gen X and Baby Boomers are far more active in my opinion! Thanks for adding your thoughts!

dean

Nov 12, 2011 03:15 AM

Millennial Online Habits: Understanding the Next Generation of Home Buyers

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