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Senior citizens surf the Web 2.0 wave
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75 per cent of Internet users regularly read other shoppers’ reviews
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Online shoppers in the 50-plus generation are more patient than younger shoppers
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Hamburg, Mai 29th 2007 –
Almost half of all over-50s in Germany now shop regularly on the Internet. The majority check out the goods quite critically. Around three-quarters browse extensively on the Net and read product assessments from other online shoppers before deciding on a purchase. Older Internet users are especially inclined to trust the customer reviews on marketplace sites such as Amazon or Otto.de. 17.9 per cent also use Web 2.0 offers such as weblogs for their research. These are the results of the trend survey "Vernetzte Kunden - Wie Web 2.0 das Online-Shopping verändert” (Online consumers—how Web 2.0 is changing online shopping) conducted by novomind AG in cooperation with wiwo.de and handelsblatt.com.
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More than half of the older generation especially value the rapid cross-pollination of ideas in the Web forums in comparison to classic sources of information such as periodicals or consumer bodies (Stiftung Warentest). In addition, around a third of those questioned liked user tips, finding their descriptions easier to understand than the basic product facts from many vendors. However, the 50-plus surfers don’t accept the forum articles without question. More than 50 per cent then look at the dealer’s or manufacturer’s site, or have product details sent in an e-mail newsletter. They then compare the product information from the dealers and suppliers with the experience of other buyers. For older Internet shoppers, the variety of information thus plays an important part in the selection of the online shop.
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Speed of communication with the shop operators or proprietary firm is also a decisive factor for the seniors. Ease of access in various ways is of prime importance to them. 85 per cent prefer to write enquiries by e-mail. But four out of ten Internet shoppers over 50 have already chatted with a customer adviser. This shows that the shops cannot afford long response times to customer enquiries. Special software applications now provide faster customer communications. novomind, for example, offers innovative mail management and live chat systems, as well as solutions for controlling virtual customer advisers. The virtual customer advisers especially meet the demand of many seniors for a personal form of customer communication in real time. 53.7 per cent of older net visitors can imagine being led through the Internet marketplaces in this way, for example.
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The verdict of other customers often decides the purchase.
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For the actual purchase transaction, seniors are among the most patient, however. Even when technical problems occur, only a quarter leave a webshop empty-handed. The great majority try again until it works. Seniors thus reach the virtual till more often than younger shoppers. This conversely means: for vendors focusing on the younger generation, it is all the more important to conclude the sale as quickly and smoothly as possible for their target group. Otherwise there is a risk of losing sales.
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The report on the trend survey "Vernetzte Kunden - Wie Web 2.0 das Online-Shopping verändert" (Online consumers - how Web 2.0 is changing online shopping) presents the findings of an online survey conducted for novomind AG in collaboration with wiwo.de and handelsblatt.com. The survey investigated where the latest trends lie with Web 2.0 applications and how customers use them. The survey was conducted during the period from 30 January to 28 February 2007. Altogether 374 end consumers took part.
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novomind is a software developer in Hamburg and the fastest-growing company in the field of electronic customer communications and mail management. As the leading provider of innovative solutions for digital customer communications, novomind AG provides software for service-oriented and personalised customer dealings. The software not only optimises efficiency in customer administration significantly, it also gives the user a faster return on investment. The portfolio of the Products division includes the novomind Self-Service SuiteTM. The software package contains all the communication modules necessary for a customer service centre on a central knowledge basis: e-mail management, virtual customer consulting and systems for interactive, real-time communication. The novomind AG Services division implements complex e-business applications. More than 40 major companies have already decided in favour of novomind technology, among them Citibank, Otto, Yello Strom and the German pension institution Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund. Club Bertelsmann, EnBW and Mexx as well as public-sector users, such as the German Bundestag (parliament) and the German Department of Trade and Industry, have already successfully introduced novomind systems to optimise their customer communications, turnover and PR.
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