So while holiday shopping this year I go to thinking. Does anyone not shop online anymore? I see new studies every year talking about how much online shopping has grown and the growth expected in the next year(s). But what I don’t see are any studies saying how many people do and don’t shop online, and who these people may be. You would think that is would be a cut and dry issue, but then again I’m not so sure. Everyone I know always assumed Mac users were young hit up and comers. In fact the commercial comparing a with-it youngster with an out of touch business guy to push Macs is actually quite wrong. While recently a marketing survey actually found that most people that purchase Macs were seniors – with exception of iPods of course.
The study I mentioned above also reputed the supposed fact that seniors were not technically savvy and did not go on line very often. In fact the majority of this generation is quite computer literate and uses many online services. The real problem is that there are not as many services geared to their age group. TechDirt, a Blog I read quite frequently has had a few articles restating this assertion that it isn’t that seniors can not do it, there is just not any content that interests them at this time. I’ll have to agree with them as my personal experience is mixed. One grandmother won’t touch the computer, while the other and her husband use email and the internet but are scared people are spying on them when they are connected. However when I was a Microsoft rep. at the local Circuit City, Best Buy, and CompUSA I encountered several older people that were as fluent as most of my friends in computers.
So if older people use the internet in similar and just as affluent ways as younger people – at least those in the study - what about online shoppers. Is it only the younger and middle-aged generations who venture onto the cyber shops? Is it still dominated by techno savvy geeks? Personally I gather the majority of my information online even if I don’t make the purchase there (though I do make a lot of online purchases). Thinking of the people I went to High School or College with I can’t think of anyone that hasn’t or doesn’t make routine purchases online. In fact I am forwarded a lot of links and ads for online. The first stop I make is online even if I don’t buy it there.
I can always find better prices online with only a few exceptions, and except for furniture, or large electronics I don’t need to go to the actual store to buy the item. It seems like a lot less hassle to have it delivered than pick it up. Beyond the actual purchasing I was also wondering about research, even if you don’t make the purchase online I can’t even begin to determine how difficult if would be to do research with out the internet. My first stop is generally to www.CNET.com or www.Nextag.com to read reviews and love to check out user comments at Amazon and similar stores. Even the information provided at Target,
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