What, for how much and how do the elderly buy online? We learn this in the report en titled "E-Commerce in Poland. Gemius for e-Commerce Polska" commissioned by the Chamber of Electronic Economy - an organization working for the development of the Polish e-commerce industry. The report was prepared by the international research and technology company Gemius, specializing in research on the behavior of Internet users, their socio-demographic profile, as well as the effectiveness of online advertising campaigns.

Contents:

  1. Shopping for a senior online: about the report
  2. Shopping for a senior online: who is buying?
  3. Shopping for a senior online: goods
  4. Shopping for a senior online: costs
  5. Shopping for a senior online: forms of delivery
  6. Shopping for a senior online: reasons for returning goods
  7. Shopping for a senior online: forms of reaching
  8. Shopping for a senior online: reasons
  9. Shopping for a senior online: payment methods
  10. Shopping for a senior online: problems
  11. Shopping for a senior online: choosing a store
  12. Shopping for a senior online: who does not buy and why?

Shopping for a senior online: about the report

What was the research methodology like? To prepare the study, 1,643 online surveys completed by internet users aged 15 and more between 18 and 26 April 2022 were analyzed. The questions concerned purchasing behavior in the last 12 months. The structure of the sample was adjusted with appropriate weights so that it corresponded to the socio-demographic structure of all Polish internet users in four age groups identified by researchers: 15-24, 25-34, 34-49 and 50 plus.

Of course, we are interested in the last range. Of the four age categories included in the study, this was the broadest, including all people aged 50 and over without an upper age limit, while the remaining age groups are based on a span of 10 or 15 years. This fact in itself proves that seniors still (despite the slogans about "silver tsunami", "silver economy" or even "silver market" coming to us mainly from the West) are not treated in Poland as a commercial target group worth special attention, that is, first of all, a better understanding of the needs that the market could then respond to.

As a result, the image of a senior (non) buyer on the web that emerges from this research, by its very nature, is notvery precise. Nevertheless, let's look at the answers to the most basic questions in the light of the research results. Who buys and who does not buy online - and why? What encourages people from the 50+ group to buy online, and what discourages them? What purchases do the senior make on the Internet, and what do they finalize in a stationary store, and for what reasons?

Shopping for a senior online: who is buying?

Let's start by delineating the background. In the light of the available research results, the so-called penetration of the Internet in Poland, i.e. the share of Internet users in the total number of inhabitants of the country aged 7 to 74, is 83.4%. It is a group of as many as 27.5 million people. Of these, 62% have ever made a purchase online. Importantly, analysts record a clear year-on-year increase here - from 56% in 2022, i.e. by 6 percentage points. More than half of the respondents also estimate that the level of spending related to online shopping will not change over the next year, but as many as 1/3 of respondents assume that these outlays will increase. Spending cuts are planned only by every 25th respondent.

In terms of age, the dominant group among all online buyers is made up of people from the 35-49 age cohort (32% of all buyers). Seniors are in second place (26% of buyers; others: 25-34 - 22%; 15-24 - 20%). At the same time, in the total number of people shopping online in Poland, the share of women and men is equal - they are exactly 50%. The analyzes also show that the most willing to buy online are people with higher education and those who evaluate the financial situation of their household as good.

Of all seniors using the web, 56% of online shopping on Polish websites is made (stable level, in addition close to the national average - 60), while on foreign ones - 13% (the share is falling; the youngest are in the lead in this matter - 42%, and the percentage clearly decreases with age). In order to make this picture more precise, one can assume that the level of we alth, as well as the scope of competences in the field of computer use and online shopping, is the highest in the youngest seniors (around 50 years of age - working and with the prospect of further work for 10 or 15 years), and it gradually decreases with age.

When asked about the reasons that motivate them to buy online, seniors primarily indicated the possibility of returning the purchased goods within 14 days without giving a reason (44%), then more information about products (35%) , in addition, the possibility of buying used items or collectibles (30%). Among the indicated premises, there are also discounts forregular customers (26%) and the ability to collect points for purchases (21%), and to a lesser extent (and with a downward trend in both categories) a personalized offer of goods (13%) and personalized promotions (12%).

Shopping for a senior online: goods

In the analyzed period of 12 months, people of all age groups most willingly bought clothes, accessories and footwear, books, CDs, films, as well as cosmetics or perfumes online. The respondents' declarations regarding online shopping plans for the near future after the study were varied. Among the answers, the most frequent categories were travel and reservations, computer equipment, furniture and interior design, sportswear and multimedia. However, in the introduction to the analysis of the research results, the authors of the report make a reservation: Internet users' purchasing behavior varies depending on their gender, age, education or economic situation - individual groups make different choices when it comes to product categories or the frequency of online purchases. Nevertheless, the structure of online purchases from a static senior reflects general trends. Fashion comes first - clothing, accessories, accessories (60%) and footwear (47%), then books, CDs, films (46%), and almost ex-aequo with them - pharmaceutical products (45%) and radio and television equipment and household appliances (43%), as well as cosmetics and perfumes (41%). Only a bit further are cinema or theater tickets (37%) on a par with telephones, smartphones and GSM accessories (also 37%), slightly ahead of sportswear (35%), cars and car parts (35%), travel and reservations related to travel (33%) and children's items or toys (30%).

Furniture and interior design elements are purchased online by 27% of respondents (but 18% of the finishing and construction materials), as is computer hardware (27% - but games are already 12%, and computer programs 11%). One in four seniors who buy online in this way buy insurance (24%). Online grocery shopping (23%), still not very popular in all age groups in our country, is at a similar level. 16% of the respondents from the group of seniors who purchased online, multimedia (e.g. applications or e-books) - 15%, and collectors' items - 14% - ordered jewelry online.

In none of these product categories, the interest of seniors exceeded the interest of people from other age groups. On the contrary, the oldest people (similarly to the youngest) less often indicated each of the above-mentioned categories than people from groups 25-34 and 35-49. Even in relation to pharmaceuticals, not without justification associated with advanced age, the share of seniors (45%) wasjust below the share of younger people (35-49 - 48%, 25-34 - 47%). On the other hand, the categories that enjoy relatively the lowest interest of seniors (compared to other groups) include jewelery, multimedia, games and computer programs. There is also room for action for marketing specialists in the field of computers on the one hand, and in the field of food products - on the other.

Shopping for a senior online: costs

It is worth emphasizing that the structure of online spending amounts does not reflect the structure of interest in particular product categories. In other words, the fact that the majority of seniors eagerly used the Internet during the year, incl. for fashion, it does not mean that she spent the most on it in average monthly terms.

The most significant item in the average monthly online expenses of seniors is RTV and household appliances with the amount of PLN 1,187. This fact can be largely explained by the high prices of this type of devices (especially since phones, smartphones and tablets are next on the list - PLN 601). On the other hand, however, the expenditures of people aged 50 plus on consumer electronics and household appliances are higher than in any other age category, clearly exceeding both the national average (PLN 951) and the expenditure of the second-largest category 25-34 (PLN 1,073). In the case of phones, smartphones and tablets, there is no similar differentiation, seniors are in the middle of the rate, right next to the national average (PLN 605), right behind the 35-49 group (PLN 608), only far behind the strongest youth here (15-24 years old) with a result of PLN 731.

The aforementioned fashion, in terms of the amount of the expenses of the 50 plus group, ranks much lower. Footwear at the level of PLN 234, and clothing, accessories and accessories - PLN 208. In both cases, seniors are quite close to the national average (shoes - PLN 230, clothes, etc. - PLN 253), while in terms of clothing purchases they are significantly lower than the group of 25-34, leading with a result of as much as PLN 465, and at the same time not much ahead of the others (35 -49 - 188 PLN; 15-24 - 163 PLN). In turn, in terms of footwear, only the youngest (15-24 years old) are ahead of the elderly (15-24 years old) with a result of PLN 289, but the last two groups are not far behind (25-34 - 217 PLN; 35-49 - 198 PLN). Surprisingly, men of all ages spend online 70% more on clothes, accessories and accessories than women (on average PLN 345 ​​compared to PLN 203) - apparently, in this case, women prefer the traditional sales model.

The next position is taken by groceries, which consume an average of PLN 170 a month. In relation to rising food prices, this amount does not seem large. It should be remembered, however, that purchases of this type in Poland are a fairly new phenomenon, and in terms of deliveriesfresh products straight to the home can be used mainly in larger cities. Seniors spend a little more on online grocery shopping than the youngest and very young people (25-34 - 163 PLN; 15-24 - 155 PLN), and the national average (PLN 204) is clearly pulled up by consumers in the 35-49 range years (PLN 299). At the same time, for all buyers, there was a clear correlation between the declared financial situation of the household and online purchases of food products. It turned out that the worse the assessment of this situation, the greater the tendency to this type of shopping. This may mean trying to find cheaper suppliers of durable products.

Seniors buying online spend an average of PLN 151 on cosmetics and perfumes. They are placed just behind the leading group (PLN 35-49 - 157 PLN), above the national average (PLN 139), close to the rest (PLN 25-34 - 130; PLN 15-24 - 111). Shopping of this kind was characteristic of the well-to-do. It is worth emphasizing that the advantage of women over men was insignificant (PLN 147 compared to PLN 123).

After cosmetics and perfumes, pharmaceutical products, which consumed an average of PLN 126 per month, were ranked among the expenses of seniors online in terms of amounts. In the context of the other product categories presented here, the sum is not impressive. However, it should be remembered that in the surveyed group of seniors, other people may increase the amount of expenditure on RTV and household appliances, and others - at a different age, with different income, with different sources of income - may be forced to regularly take medications. It should also come as no surprise that spending on pharmaceutical products increases with the age of the respondents (PLN 15-24 - 58; PLN 25-34 - 101; PLN 35-49 - 111; national average - PLN 107), with the dominant feature in the category of people 50 plus.

In terms of amounts, seniors spend the least online on books, CDs or films (on average PLN 97 per month) and cinema or theater tickets (PLN 85). In both of these categories, however, they occupy the first position among all age groups selected in the study, while in the first group they are slightly ahead (35-49 - 84 PLN; 25-34 - 81 PLN; 15-24 - 51 PLN; national average 74 PLN), and in the second - slightly (PLN 15-24 - 84; PLN 25-34 - 76; PLN 35-49 - 76; national average PLN 83).

Will seniors' spending on online shopping remain at a similar level in the near future, or will they change? The majority (60%) of people aged 50 plus interviewed about it believe that they will remain at the current level. However, every fourth (24%) forecasts an increase, and only one in fifty (2%) a decrease. Every sixth (13%) cannot judge. The remaining analyzes show that increasing expensesthe youngest (15-24 years old) and those whose households are in a good financial situation are planning more often.

Shopping for a senior online: forms of delivery

In relation to the respondents from all four age groups, the preferred form of delivery of purchases to their home or workplace is courier. As many as 71% of online buyers indicated this option as generally preferred and motivating to make a purchase, and 58% also as the most frequently actually used option. At the same time, 72% of online shoppers would like the courier to bring the parcel home or work, which, however, is not currently part of the standard obligations of suppliers - it is generally only available as an additional paid service.

On the other hand, every second (53%) online shopper, as a form of return that most strongly encourages them to make a purchase in a given store, is the possibility of returning the goods free of charge by courier in the door-to-door system (collection of the returned parcel directly from customer's home). It is worth noting here that every third online buyer did not return a single product until the research was conducted. That's the general overview, let's move on to the 50 plus age category.

  • Forms of delivery encouraging purchase

In response to the question "which of the following forms of delivery of goods encourage you to buy online the most?" as many as 80% of seniors indicated courier delivery directly to their home or work. In this respect, the 50 plus group is clearly ahead of the others (15-24 - 69%; 25-34 - 67%; 35-49 - 67%). 55% of seniors, in turn, chose postal delivery directly to their home or work.

Only one percentage point more (56%) indicated free home delivery with the possibility of free return (the type of supplier itself did not matter much). Half of the surveyed seniors (51%) indicated pickup at a parcel locker as an encouraging type of delivery. Both of these types of delivery were the most attractive from the point of view of the youngest, and in the light of the analyzes, the popularity of parcel machines is inversely proportional to the age of the respondents - the free return does not create such unambiguous correlations.

The various forms of personal collection are not very encouraging from the point of view of both seniors and representatives of other age groups - at a kiosk (indicated by every third respondent - 30%), at a post office (every fourth - 23%), in in a shop or shopping center (every fifth - 19%), at a gas station (10%), and even on the way home, at a train station or at a metro station (7%). At the same time, instant delivery (same day delivery) has just as little incentive to purchase, probably due to the high prices of itservice type (7%).

Only 9% of seniors indicated direct transfer from the website as an encouraging form of online shopping (used, for example, in the case of e-books, music, etc.), which is related to the already indicated low interest in people aged 50 plus multimedia in this form. Such transfers also create an inverse correlation with the age of the respondents - they are popular with every third buyer from the 15-24 (31%) range.

  • Actual selected delivery methods

We talked about the delivery methods offered, which seniors consider to be encouraging (or not) to make a purchase. And what forms of transport for the purchased products do they actually choose? Generally speaking, these decisions are the same as the declarations presented earlier. Seniors mainly use the services of couriers delivering the purchased products straight to their home or workplace (72%), which is much ahead of other groups (in the range of 52-55%). Much less often they choose pickup in a parcel locker (42% - here the lowest share among all groups; others are in the range of 54-57%) or delivery by post to home or work (37% - in the middle of the rate; all groups are in the range of 35-41 %).

Free home delivery with the possibility of free return, which as many as 56% of the surveyed seniors buying online considered encouraging to buy, in practice are chosen by only 25% of people aged 50 plus (all groups are in the range 23-31 %), which most likely means that stores with an offer attractive to the respondents rarely offer this formula.

Delivery methods considered by seniors as not very encouraging in practice are also very rarely used by them. Pickup of purchases at a kiosk (paczka w Ruchu) is used by 21% of respondents, at a post office by 15%, at a shop branch or in a shopping center (click & collect) by 13%, at a gas station by 4%, and at a train station or subway - by 2% . Also, 2% popularity (probably due to high costs) are instant delivery services (same day delivery). The 5% percentage of those who use the transfer of e-books or music directly from the website correlates with a proportionally low (15%) interest in purchasing multimedia in this form.

It is worth adding that in the senior group, the highest percentage of affirmative answers ("definitely yes" or "rather yes") to the question "Would you like the purchased goods to be brought home? on delivery by courier? " - 76%. The responses to this question are clearly related to the age of the respondents, which is most visible in the case of the answer "definitely yes" (50plus - 49%; 35-49 - 44%; 25-34 - 40%; 15-24 - 33%).

Shopping for a senior online: reasons for returning goods

Returning goods is not part of the standard purchase procedure. There are people who order more models, colors or sizes of a given product in order to choose the most appropriate one at home - and return the rest. In general, however, we try to make well-thought-out choices, not only to sellers, but also to save ourselves the hassle of re-packing and returning purchases. The offered convenient (trouble-free and cheap) forms of return are, however, important as they significantly reduce the risk of the goods purchased remotely not being adjusted to the customer's expectations. Thus, they significantly facilitate making purchasing decisions.

Seniors indicated primarily the possibility of free returning the product by courier in the door-to-door model - 54% (in the middle of the rate; other groups in the range 49-57% ) and free return of the product by post - 51% (here it is slightly ahead of the other groups with a share of 50%). The remaining forms of return of the purchased goods were assessed by seniors worse in this respect than the representatives of other age groups; possibility of return to a stationary store - 35%, sending back via a parcel locker - 29%, in a kiosk - 5%.

At the same time, as a solution encouraging to buy, every fourth of the surveyed seniors (26%) indicated a longer than the standard (14-day) time for returning the product. Apparently, buyers become more decisive with age - the most popular interest is the extended return date among young people (15-24 - 41%, 25-34 - 35%), then it decreases (35-49 - 25%).

Importantly, in each of the four age groups, only 1% of respondents marked the answer "I did not know about such a possibility", which indicates a high level of awareness of their own rights as consumers and the mechanisms governing e-commerce among people who buy by internet.

And which forms of return were actually used most often by the respondents? Basically in line with the preferences presented earlier, although in the percentage clearly reduced (most likely) by accurate, satisfactory purchases. At the forefront of the rate are: free return of the product by post (20% - clearly more often than in other groups) and free return of the product by courier (door-to-door) - 18%. Much lower scores are: return to a stationary store (7%) and returning the product via a parcel locker (5% - far behind the other groups, within the range of 14-16%). Only 3% of seniors (the remaininggroups in a similarly modest range of 6-8%), with the option of returning at a kiosk or at a gas station 1% (other groups - 2%).

At the same time, it is worth emphasizing that among seniors the greatest number of people have never returned the purchased goods (38%; other groups: 15-24 - 31%; 25-34 - 27%; 35-49 - 27 %). With a high awareness of the right to return, it may simply mean deliberate choices, but probably some buyers - especially in more advanced age - also show a certain shyness in exercising their rights.

Shopping for a senior online: forms of reaching

The vast majority of respondents from all age categories use a laptop when shopping online. Smartphone is in second place, which is used by 61% of people who shop online. However, this category is dominated by young people (15-24 years old). Why? The respondents themselves point out the difficulties that arise when trying to make purchases in online stores using mobile devices. I am talking mainly about forms that are inconvenient to fill in on a smartphone and about the maladjustment of websites of some stores to this type of devices.

The youngest buyers pay attention, for example, to the lack of a mobile application or to payment methods that they find inconvenient. Seniors, on the other hand, more often indicate simply too small letters. In the light of the analyzes, this problem becomes more and more important with the age of users. It is not surprising then that people in the 50-plus age category most often use a laptop (74%) when shopping online, followed by a desktop computer (54%). In both of these cases, the seniors do not differ from the others; in the case of a laptop, the forks for all age groups are 72-77%, for computers - 51-60%.

The smallest number of seniors is done on mobile devices, which is significantly different from the others. 33% of respondents aged 50 plus reach for a smartphone (a huge distance here: 15-24 - 85%; 25-34 - 70%; 35-49 - 63%), and a tablet - 15% (this type of device is generally less popular ; other groups are in the range of 28-34%).

When asked about problems that discourage people from buying over the Internet using mobile devices, the mentioned too small letters were indicated by every second respondent (46% - a very clear dominant; others: 35-49 - 32%; 25-34 - 26%; 15-24 - 19%). Secondly, seniors mentioned uncomfortable forms (37% - below average here; other groups in the range 42-48%). Every fourth of the surveyed seniors indicated that the website was not adapted to mobile shopping (26%), for a large number of activities or operations necessary to finalize the purchase (25%; onthese are mainly the impatient children who complain), too slow internet connection (24%) or problems with making payments (23%). One in eight seniors (13%) indicated an inconvenient payment method as discouraging from shopping on mobile devices, and only one in thirteen (8%) indicated the lack of a mobile application, which worries the youngest. At the same time, more than every fifth respondent from the 50 plus category (22%) did not encounter any of the above-mentioned problems.

Shopping for a senior online: reasons

Year by year, not only is the number of online buyers growing - as mentioned at the beginning - but also the share of people positively evaluating online shopping. Their most important advantages were the simplicity and convenience of this form of shopping and a wider choice than in the case of shopping in traditional stores. At the same time, the feeling that online shopping is safe and that it offers a wide range of choices and finding offers at attractive prices is also growing.

Most respondents choose to buy online due to 24/7 availability (this factor was indicated by as much as 75% of respondents), lower prices (compared to brick-and-mortar stores - here 2/3 of respondents), convenience (shopping without leaving the home) and unlimited time to choose the right product for you. At the same time, the respondents indicated that they would be encouraged to shop more frequently in online stores by lower delivery costs (55%) and lower prices of the products themselves (53%). The 50 plus group does not differ from these trends, only different forms of payment, the possibility of collecting points, discounts for regular customers and personalized offers for seniors are slightly more important than for the other respondents.

Against this background, it is not surprising that when asked what would make them shop online more often, seniors primarily indicated lower delivery costs (58%), lower prices than in traditional stores (54% ) and discounts for online buyers (45%). Only every third of the surveyed seniors mentioned discount codes in this context (37%). One-fourth of the more frequent online purchases would be prompted by the possibility of seeing products (24%) or faster delivery (23%), probably in the standard option, and not additionally paid. One-fifth, in turn, relatively easy to achieve matters - more detailed descriptions of goods (22%) and a wider range of available products (19%).

The respondents would be less interested in a longer return period without giving a reason (16%), a wider choice of delivery methods (14%), better product photos (14%) and safer payment methods (12% - here the lowest percentage among all ages whatmay indicate either a lower awareness of threats or a lower tendency to risky behavior on the Internet). The higher quality of products offered via the Internet was indicated by every tenth surveyed senior (11%). At the same time, 3/4 of the surveyed seniors assured that the introduction of the ban on Sunday trading did not affect the volume of their online purchases (44% rather not, 15% definitely not).

Shopping for a senior online: payment methods

Of the payment methods offered, the general public who buy online most often choose fast transfers through the payment service, especially PayU. A greater variety of preferred payment methods (including card payments, mobile payments - Blik or QR codes, but also traditional transfers, cash on delivery or cash payment on personal pickup) are presented by the youngest (15-24 years old). In this context, seniors turn out to be open to the most modern and the most convenient fully online solutions.

At the same time, the four most preferred payment methods do not differ from other age groups. These are a quick transfer via the payment service (e.g. PayU, Przelewy24, Dotpay) - 63%, and then payment in cash on personal pickup at the courier - 44%, traditional transfer (with entering the account number) - 42% and card payment when placing the order - 38%.

What may seem surprising, seniors are extremely reluctant to use cash on delivery (i.e. with payment on delivery from the postman). 31% of people aged 50 plus would be inclined to this solution, while the remaining groups are in the range of 44-54%, with the intensity of the tendency inversely proportional to age. Similar trends are even more intense in the case of mobile payments, such as BliK (record distances; 15-24 - 48%; 25-34 - 37%; 35-49 - 29%; 50 plus - 14%), in turn a little smaller - when paying in the store (seniors 20%, other groups are in the range 28-36%, with the dominant among the youngest buyers online).

Other often offered payment methods (by SMS or QR code, as well as in installments or with a deferred date) are of little interest to respondents from all groups, and against this background especially small - seniors.

Shopping for a senior online: problems

More than 3/4 of people buying online (76%) experienced some kind of problem in connection with their purchases. Most often it was about too long delivery time or its high cost. The questionnaires also included the issue of intrusively displayed ads for previously viewed products, which turns out to be particularly irritating, especially after makingfinal selection and ordering of a specific model.

At the same time, the seniors included in the survey indicated any difficulties with online shopping (the most frequently chosen answer was I did not meet, I did not encounter any of the above-mentioned problems - 34%), and when they reported problems, they were less intense than other age groups. Perhaps this means that life experience (even 50 years) allows them to look at the difficulties that sometimes arise with a greater distance, including in particular - to be more patient with the waiting time for the ordered product.

Every 4th of the surveyed seniors indicated, however, too long waiting for the delivery of the product (28%), high delivery costs (27%) or intrusive advertisements for products previously viewed (26%), which in the 8th indicated dissatisfaction with the received products related to other expectations towards them (13%), and every 10th - receipt of a defective product (10%). 7% of respondents had problems with payment, the same number did not receive the ordered goods. The 6% share was difficulties in finding the desired product, problems with the warranty, complaints or returning goods, as well as false information on the website (about the product, price, etc.). Every 20th senior met with inappropriate customer service (5%) - unprofessional (including failure to answer the questions asked) or rude.

Shopping for a senior online: choosing a store

The authors of the report on online purchases also looked at the rationale for choosing an online store. In the light of the research results, the three key factors that determine the purchase at this and not another address are, first of all, the price of the interesting product (45%), then the shipping costs (37%) and possible previous positive experiences related to shopping in a given online store. (31%). There are no surprises here - the above-mentioned elements are common to the majority of respondents, regardless of their gender, age or education, and moreover, they appeared in similar proportions in the previous parts of the survey.

Interestingly, these three dominant factors in the assessment of seniors are above average weight: price - 50%, shipping cost - 39%, previous positive experiences - 35%. Lower importance, but exceptionally high compared to the remaining groups, ascribed to people aged 50 plus the ease of placing orders (25%; others in the range of 16-18%). Every 4th senior also takes into account attractive promotions and special offers (24%) and a short waiting time for delivery (23%), slightly less than every 5th takes into account the results from price comparison websites (19%) and easy methodspayments (18%). Further positions include various forms of delivery (17%) and payment (16%), as well as detailed information on the conditions for making an order, complaint or return (16%).

At the same time, in the case of the first purchase in a given store, opinions are the most important determinant of credibility for as many as half of buyers (47%). Hence the importance of store rankings, providing customers with knowledge about it in an easily accessible and accessible form. However, seniors have relatively little confidence in opinions on various websites or internet portals (15%), in social media (10%), as well as on internet forums or discussion groups (8%). The independence (or skepticism) of people aged 50 plus is also evidenced by the low tendency to rely on the recommendations of friends, friends or family (11%), lower than the trust built by online company data, such as address, tax identification number or telephone number (14%) or clear and functional website (12%). The interest in a given store among 10% of the surveyed seniors helps to build shared discount codes.

Shopping for a senior online: who does not buy and why?

An interesting thread in the subject of online shopping - and probably not only for marketing or e-commerce specialists - is created by the other side of the coin, i.e. the sphere of people who do not shop in online stores. In this group, the following age ranges are in equal proportions: 35-49 (33%) and 50 plus (32%), and the missing 1/3 is primarily the category 25-34 (22%) and the youngest - 15-24 (14 %). According to the Gemius analysis for the Chamber of Electronic Economy, every third of these people (37%) do not use the online stores offer, because they prefer to personally see the product they are interested in before making a purchase.

With regard to seniors only (50+ category), the most important thing is the habit of buying in traditional stores and concerns about possible problems with the warranty, exchange, return. It seems that the solution to both of these issues would be to disseminate information on consumer rights, including the right to withdraw from the contract without giving any reason within 14 days, with the obligation to return the goods within the next 14 days. An exceptional incentive here could be a free return (and not, as in the standard, on the customer's side), which would essentially compensate for the need to see the product before buying it in a stationary store.

And what to do to convince those who do not buy online? When asked in the survey, they say the same as buyers when the question is about intensifying purchases. They indicate lower delivery costs, more attractive prices of goodsand faster delivery of purchased products. And just like people who buy online, also those who have not been convinced so far believe that they would most likely choose products from categories such as electronics and household appliances, clothing, footwear, cosmetics as well as books, CDs and films in the first place.

About the authorPaweł DombrowskiPolitical scientist, graduate of interdisciplinary political science and sociology studies in the field of social policy (Faculty of Journalism and Political Science, University of Warsaw). In journalism, he deals mainly with the broadly understood subject of gerontology.

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Category:

Geriatrics