Jan 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Brian Quinton

Those 65 and older feel that marketers talk down to them and don't understand their needs. Baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964 — do not want to be called seniors.

Those are two of the takeaways from research conducted by Bob Fell, director of strategy and planning with research firm Varsity. Fell and his associates gleaned some of the over-65 data in the study firsthand, through a month-long stay at a seniors' residential facility in Pennsylvania.

Fell also points out the importance of considering the senior market when designing both products and retail environments. Shoppers older than 65 want smaller portions to prevent spoilage, he notes. For that reason, “buy one, get one free” offers hold no appeal for them.

“But they still want full-sized Oreos,” he adds. “They're not ‘100-calorie-per-pack’ people.”

When they shop, they favor stores with automatic doors (if they're set to close slowly), wide aisles for scooters and plenty of available seating. Most respondents indicated that they would switch to a brand that offers easier packaging. They hate plastic clamshell packages, dislike pop-tops on canned goods such as soups and often have a specific tool in their kitchen for opening stubborn cans, jars or even cereal boxes.

When it comes to a store's physical layout, Fell advises that retailers keep in mind older shoppers have slower reaction times. “If your stores have automatic doors, they should stay open longer,” he says. “If your phone menus have voice prompts, give them more time to respond.”

Stamina also begins to decline with age, and that can cut into what many in the over-65 age group value highly: their capacity to get out and take care of their own errands.

“They value the ability to shop, but they need to sit down every now and then,” Fell points out. “The number one request we heard was for places to sit in grocery stores.”

Customer service also becomes a great differentiator in where seniors choose to shop, so merchants may need to think in terms of “roamers” who travel the sales floor looking for those who need assistance. “And having a quality ladies' room will also win you big loyalty points,” Fell says.

Among their other findings: Marketers seeking to appeal to the older consumer should be segmenting not by age but by life stage.

“Stageism, not ageism,” Fell says. “Age is not a good factor for determining the right approach to someone over 65.”

Instead, marketers should be sorting their audiences according to such criteria as mobility, their marital status and even their willingness to embrace change.

A survey of those 25 to 45 indicated that the majority assumed most older adults were permanently set in their ways, Fell says. But, in fact, questioning among those 65 and older found that almost a third of them described themselves as willing to embrace change.

Seniors' marital status also comes into play, because after 65, men become a more important factor in shopping decisions and even in doing some household chores such as vacuuming.

“We're accustomed to tailoring advertising for ice cream to women, but our data reveals that about 25% of the ice cream bought in that age group is actually purchased by men,” he says.

In writing ad copy for those over 65 or their younger baby-boomer counterparts, marketers should be careful not to appear to be talking down to either group, “since both think you think they're stupid,” he says. And messages targeting baby boomers should also avoid words such as “retirement,” “infirmities” or even “seniors.”

“They also hate the phrase ‘golden years,’” Fell says. But the over-65s don't object at all to being labeled “senior,” and are, in fact, proud of having reached their age, he adds.

Copy should take into account a likely decline in vision, hearing and mental acuity. It should use large, readable san-serif type in a minimum 12-point font, upper and lower-case letters and short sentences of 15 words or so. Disclaimers and warnings should be easy to read or seniors will assume vendors are trying to hide something.

While baby boomers are notable for spending time and money to retain their youth, by 65 many consumers have begun to experience health concerns.

Varsity research found that the 25-to-45 group assumed that the fear of death would be an overriding concern among the elderly. But after living among retirees, Fell realizes they are quite comfortable with life's end approaching.

“They embrace loss,” he says. “They're losing their friends and losing their spouses, so they have no alternative. But they worry about losing their mobility and their independence. Freedom is one of their biggest issues. So that's the mindset you're marketing to.”

Simply, these shoppers want marketers to cater to their specific needs.

“I'll give you two marketing ideas,” Fell says. “Larger buttons on clothing and larger switches on lamps.”

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