Online and over 50

In an increasingly competitive environment, it’s vital to understand customers’ needs and desires. But, according to Age UK’s Engage Business Network’s recent research, only 12 per cent of people aged 50-plus are regular online shoppers, so we believe that a lot more could be done to engage with older customers, who account for 47 per cent of total UK spending.

With the number of people over 50 projected to rise by nearly 26 per cent in the next 20 years, from 22 million to almost 29 million, there is clearly an opportunity for businesses to be considering older people’s consumer needs and encouraging loyalty by creating compelling customer journeys. Engaging consumers on an emotional level, understanding touchpoints and making the online user journey more accessible to this demographic is vital.

Ian Rutter, senior manager, Engage Business Network at Age UK

Lazy data is a nuisance

Regarding the declaration from Ofcom that UK households get too many nuisance calls, it’s clear this is an issue that needs tackling. Marketers are not speaking to the right people. Whether this is down to lazy/pirate marketing or inaccurate data is the key question.

Ofcom’s statement takes on more significance with the news that the EU has again postponed its debate on data privacy and the potential directive. Unsolicited calls are the result of poor quality and unrefined data, which causes the communication line between potential customers and relevant businesses to break down.

Under the EU data proposals, the industry will be better regulated – pirate companies can be replaced with quality, well refined data, thus reducing unwanted calls.

John Pooley, managing director, The Data Partnership