Older UK consumers intend to stick with online shopping

Marketers and retailers may need to adjust their strategies in favour of an older demographic when lockdown measures begin to ease later this year because new research has found that online shopping has become embedded among UK consumers aged 55 and above.

That is according to Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) UK, the trade body whose 2021 Real Living study points to a permanent shift in shopping habits that likely will require brands to tailor their messaging.

Takeaways

• Some 58% of UK consumers aged 55+ say they do not intend to reduce the frequency of their online shopping once lockdown measures ease, compared to 53% of 35-54s and 61% of 16-34s.
• These older consumers have driven growth across the four highest-growing e-commerce categories – food and drink; clothing and fashion; home and garden; personal care and beauty – showing how important they will be for retailers who are prepared to adjust their marketing plans.
• More than half (55%) of consumers aged 55+ look to retailers and online stores for inspiration compared with just 45% of those aged 35 to 34, while social media and word-of-mouth are the key drivers for the 16-34 age group.
• Meanwhile, in another major shift in habits, almost two-thirds (62%) of younger shoppers aged 16 to 34 say they are buying more from local shops, while the same proportion of 25-44s are shunning chains in favour of independent retailers.

Key quote

“Retail has changed forever over the last year and as we begin to plan for life after lockdown now is the time for marketers to be establishing what their customer base looks like now, what their priorities are and mindset is, and how best they can be reached. We know the older cohort look to retailers and online stores for inspiration, suggesting it is the first-party data gathered during the year that will come to the fore as brands look to cement this new relationship” – Elizabeth Lane, head of research & measurement at IAB UK.

Sourced from IAB UK