The common perception that older consumers do not use social media has been turned on its ear by new research from retail and technology experts and authors, Bernie Brennan and Lori Schafer, on the increasing use of social media by older age groups and the opportunities this presents for retailers.
The duo, who co-authored the book, “Branded: How Retailers Engage Consumers With Social Media And Mobility,” said buyers ages 52 and older are up to five times more engaged with social media than they were even two years ago. Not reaching out to them via social media is a mistake many retailers make.
“When you look at their buying power, it is less,” said Brennan, “but their sheer numbers are more. The older population will grow 11 percent in the next couple years.”
Retailers can reach them through Facebook, which Brennan said is 70 percent of social media, and YouTube, which skews to an older demographic. (Apparently those videos of laughing babies appeal to Baby Boomers.) “They go on to connect to friends and families,” said Brennan, a former chairman of the National Retail Federation now based in Florida.
There’s a method to targeting these older consumers through social media. Simply bombarding them with coupons and special offers doesn’t engage them. Brennan said retailers needs to cement a relationship with these consumers and then try to sell them. “They’re a lot more loyal than younger customers,” he advised.
Brennan said one huge advantage to social media is its investment is so much less than a print, TV or radio marketing campaign because retailers don’t have to spend money to reach 100 percent of a market when its target is only 5 percent of the people in it.
“These are not expensive ways to advertise. Local newspapers are not effective,” Brennan said.
Social media also allows for localized, personalized content. He cited how Macy’s revamped its social media efforts to better reflect the consumers of stores it had bought (like Filene’s) instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.
Want to hear another surprising aspect of older consumers and Facebook?
They’re the ones playing games on the site. “A big part of Facebook is games,” Brennan said. “The average age of game players is 48. These aren’t kid games. It’s a whole different paradigm. If the average age is 48, you have a whole bunch of people over 48.”
Home care agency owner opens store
Cinsations, a new retail store, has opened at 1010 Main St., East Hartford.
Cinsations carries shoes, pocketbooks, and fashion jewelry and all items in the store are under $100. Gift cards are also available.
Cindy Bullah, owner and operator of Cinsations is also the owner of Reliable Angels, a homemaker companion agency also based in East Hartford. Bullah is a 34-year old entrepreneur who resides in East Hartford and attends Goodwin College.
Currently, the store has no set hours but starting April 25 it will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.
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Wayback Burgers opens eighth CT restaurant
On March 16, Jake’s Wayback Burgers celebrated the grand opening of its Meriden location, which marks the 27th location for the burger joint and 10th franchise sold. Jake’s Wayback Burgers is in eight states with eight locations in Connecticut. Five more locations will be opening in-state by the end of the year.
Jake’s Wayback Burgers serves burgers that are hand-pattied from never-frozen ground beef and grilled to order. The restaurant offers rich, thick milkshakes made by hand as well as marinated grilled chicken sandwiches, garden burgers, turkey burgers, and house-made chips.
The Jake’s Wayback Burgers of Meriden franchisees are Bobby and Anne-Christine Vrakas. Their store is located at 893 East Main St., Meriden.
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Retailers look to tablets
Apple’s iPad has become an effective sales tool for on-the-road salespeople who cannot be burdened with constantly updating paper product catalogues. They can wirelessly download product updates to show new information to customers.
According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, the same may soon be true for all types of retailers, from supermarkets to mattress stores to luxury jewelers.
“Everybody has something in development,” said Ken Nisch, chairman of JGA, a retail design firm in Southfield, Mich. “This is not going to be a novelty. It’s going to be a sea change in how retailers transact and interact with customers.”
The article also explained that retailers are using iPads as mobile catalogs so sales clerks and shoppers can browse inventory not available on store shelves. They are fastening the tablets to counters so shoppers can design their own products. They are arming sales associates with the electronic clipboards to gathering customer data. And they are testing the device’s potential as a portable cash register. Pretty much anything that can be done on an iPhone can be done on an iPad.
