Internet Marketing Grows Up to Meet Demands of Silver Surfers
By Sean Murphy, EasyEditor Newswire
Almost two million silver surfers have logged on to the internet revolution in the last 12 month and helped change the face of online marketing for millions of businesses, according to new research.
The latest figures released by UKOM, the UK Online Measurement Company powered by Nielsen, has revealed that the over 50s are responsible for the biggest increase in the numbers of Britons using the Internet over the last year.
In the last 12 months the UK Internet audience grew by 5 per cent from 36.9 million people in May 2009 to 38.8 million people in May 2010. Of these 1.9 million new users at least 1million (53 per cent) are aged 50 or over.
“The Internet is getting older in more ways than one. Not only is the medium itself maturing but the audience is shifting towards older age groups,” said Alex Burmaster, spokesman for UKOM/Nielsen.
This growth is a reminder, if one was still needed, that it is very much a form of media utilised by all age groups. The fact that one in four Britons who use the Internet today are 50 to 64 years old proves it is no longer the sole preserve of the young and technical literati.”
The new research found that older men especially are turning to the Internet as they accounted for 722,000 users or 38 per cent growth while women over 50 accounted for 284,000 (15 percent) new Internet users.
Overall people aged 50 or over now account for 31 percent of people online and the types of websites most visited by them are those which present a mix of health, video, community, travel, fashion, genealogy, cooking and greeting cards and business etc.
“The Internet is no longer a strange and alien world populated by twenty somethings and teenagers,” said Jimmy Johnston, MBE, and owner of the online business stampwithease.co.uk.
“Most younger people seem to use the Internet primarily for social networking while most older surfers treat it like a virtual convenience store.
“A lot of our online customers are over 50. They tend to be business owners or individuals looking for something to add a unique touch to personal items and products.
“Traditionally, many firms involved a range of mediums to reach different audiences. Many companies tended to regard the Internet almost exclusively as the preserve of younger customers but that’s no longer the case.
“At stampwithease.co.uk we have seen first hand how older customers search for the products they want online. Many other businesses could benefit from ensuring their future marketing strategies appeal to a wider age group.”
Tags: internet, internet marketing, marketing, over 50, research, silver surfers, virtual convenience store