Is this what you think of when you picture baby boomers using the internet? An old lady struggling with the font size, keyboard pressure and lingo?! Well a recent survey of almost 6,000 members by YourLifeChoices, the retirement experts, revealed how retirees and pre-retirees are using the internet and the results may surprise you!
With more time on their hands to spend on hobbies and interests, retirees are turning to the internet as a source of entertainment, a means to keep in touch with friends and family and a key research tool. This sees them accessing the internet daily (over 94%), mostly from home.
Social networking is being embraced by this generation with over 98% of respondents using Facebook every week. But Instagram and Twitter should not be ignored with a growing number or respondents also suggesting they use these services weekly.
The best times to reach this market on the internet is the late morning (8-11am) and early evening (5-8pm), which makes sense given that the majority of respondents are fully retired. However, don’t forget the not insignificant (37%) proportion of this market who are still working part-time or full-time and are likely to have different browsing habits to the fully retired.
Whilst globally, 2015 has been the tipping point with more mobile users than desktops, desktops/laptops are still the most popular device to access YourLifeChoices content for our readers at present. However this may not be the case for long with a significant and growing number of users accessing the site via tablets (25%) and mobiles (16%). Advertisers trying to reach this audience should ensure they don’t overlook these channels in their marketing plans to reach all their intended audiences.
With a loyal audience of over 220,000 Unique Visitors a month and over 135,000 subscribers to our popular Enewsletters, YourLifeChoices knows the retiree and pre-retiree market like no one else in Australia. Contact us to find out more about our regular in-depth boomers research and how best to reach this valuable and unique audience through our extensive display advertising opportunities.
Sources: YLC Digital World Survey and Google Analytics Oct 15
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Lara Gray
Digital strategist Lara Gray is a multi-tasking, mother of one with a passion for all things digital. She’s a lover of a healthy lifestyle but can’t resist good cheese and a glass of red.
