Advocate for good ecommerce
Baby boomers and seniors, especially women, are a driving force in determining trends. We number in the millions. We spend money. Our opinion counts. Knowing that, the Nielsen Norman Group looked into how effective Web sites are for older seniors – those over 65.
They found that using most e-commerce sites is twice as difficult for seniors than for younger users. It’s pretty dumb of corporations trying to sell stuff online to not think it through, especially considering that baby boomers will be spending about $25 billion (with a “B”) at online stores within the next few years.
Some companies who, according to the survey, are doing it right include:
It would be in our own best interests, those of us, like me, who do the majority of our purchasing online (who has time for malls??), to let companies know when their websites fall short.
If you visit a site that is too slow, or difficult to navigate, or doesn’t provide complete info, speak up. Send a note or call the company. Address the Webmaster – there’s usually a link for email. But send a copy to the executives at the company, as well. Those whippersnapper Webmasters may need advanced motivation to take us seriously.
