Shinmin.Bali
@expressindia.com

The big M, or millennials, is the audience segment that shines blindingly bright. So bright that for any brand, it seems like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But this shine is often at the cost of other segments—those that have the potential, but for some reasons have been written off. While considerable attention is paid to gen Z across categories, baby boomers and even gen X seem to have been labelled as has-beens. The categories that do speak to the segment which has turned or is turning grey are the obvious ones; take the healthcare umbrella or the insurance category. For instance, we had Roche Diagnostics’ Accu Chek that had a not-so-young Wasim Akram endorsing a diabetes monitor back in 2005, or numerous brands that featured old men and women suffering from jodon mein dard or ads that are reassuring people that it is not too late to buy a pension plan. Beyond these obvious consumption categories, it is hard to speak to this segment on the assumption that there is nothing that the segment is actively looking to purchase.

Nielsen shares that according to the latest census data (2011), 41-50 year-olds who fall in the gen X category are the fastest growing population segment in India. While these consumers constitute just 28% of the population, they contribute up to 42% of the population growth. This segment combined with baby boomers, while smaller than millennials, is not small enough to be ignored. Sanjay Tripathy, co-founder and CEO, Agilio thinks ignoring these segments arises from the sheer inability to see beyond the obvious. Attracting the world-weary and have-seen- it-all older generation needs more thought. “It needs more time and effort, which translates to more money,” he says. The older generation has a better attention span and more brand loyalty than youngsters, so there is no good reason to ignore this segment.

For the silvers and greys

Last September, Google India conducted a Back to School event for senior citizens. The audience was taught web navigation skills, safe ways of shopping online and how to engage with password managing apps. While a drop in the ocean, it serves as a step forward in inclusivity especially if the only barrier between the consumer and the product may be the inability to use the internet. Volini’s TV spot Being There Matters pegged on the Pat on the Back stance, presented both the elderly and the millennial in its creative. It incentivised children being present for their parents — without actually showing who the actual buyer of the product was, casting a wide net. On the other hand, Thomas Cook’s campaign for Silver Breaks — holidays curated for senior citizens — last year, directly spoke to the senior segment.

But these examples are few and far between. A gap exists since there are not many brands seniors can turn to that are solely speaking to them. This lacuna, in a small measure, is being filled by online start-ups that are providing relevant products/services for the aging demographic. Take for example, Senior Shelf which primarily targets the elderly though the actual purchase can also be done by their children. The elderly who purchase from the website are typically retired, financially independent upper middle class, SEC A and A+, usually living alone and with children living elsewhere.

Rahul Upadhyay, founder, Senior Shelf shares that communication from the brand is not necessarily limited to product sales but also extends to other issues which may be of interest to the end consumer — ranging from senior citizen savings and taking care of bed-ridden elderly to how to link Aadhaar to bank accounts. The idea, he says, is to not just remain a product-based brand but to be a trusted partner providing a wholesome experience. Around 20% of its business comes from NRIs ordering on behalf of their parents.

Another entity, Senior World, focusses on products and events that cater to the segment aged over 55 years. It lists senior friendly phone, Easyfone; Juvo Safety Solutions, Silver Wings (assisted holiday packages for seniors) and Safety Shield (medical insurance) among its offerings. Its founder and CEO Rahul Gupta points out that while Easyfone is more often discovered by the children, the actual buyers or decision makers for Silver Wings are seniors themselves. Gupta claims that the 1,80,000 community of its engaged consumers is currently growing at 4-5% per month. To cater to them better, the brand is in the process of launching a content and engagement platform to connect, share and engage with like-minded seniors.

On the travel offering, Gupta adds, “We have customers who have travelled with us over three to four times in the last 15 months and we have many customers who bring their friends along when they travel with us again.” Now take Nobel Hygiene, which, under its Friends and Be Fit (adult diapers) brands, caters to consumers suffering from incontinence, where resistance from the user is very high. Adult diapers being need based products are dependent on discovery happening via either a doctor or a hospital’s referral. Kartik Johari, VP — marketing and commerce, Nobel Hygiene, informs that the share of caretakers purchasing the product is higher at 70% as opposed to users (at 30%).

Under-representation

While the products and services may be need-based, there are a whole host of categories like automobiles, personal care, furniture, travel, leisure, hospitality, entertainment, etc that haven’t yet tapped into the potential of a buyer which has the luxury of time and relatively higher disposable income to spend. Alagu Balaraman, partner and MD, CGN & Associates notes that the common viewpoint is that since the bulk of the population in India is young, it makes sense to cater to the youth, which is akin to herd mentality. “When looking at older people, it would be overly simplistic to look at Senior Citizen’s Day or International Day for the Elderly,” he points out, adding, “There is a large group of relatively well-off people in the bracket just below that who could be targeted and serviced. If only brands took the trouble to find out what they want and tailored their offerings to them.”

EY’s Now that India shops online, how do you turn growth into profit? report finds that consumers in the age group of 31-54 years are the highest spenders. The report adds, the way forward for customer acquisition in the senior segment in the online ecosystem will happen if targeted, specific deals are offered to them.

Antony Rajkumar, EVP, integrated strategic planning, Leo Burnett, Delhi points out that it is for the marketer to realise that they are taking a call to miss about half of somebody’s life when you stop speaking to them at the age of 34. This has a lot to do with how the Indian society is socially structured. “We somehow believe that a person who has reached a certain stage of life has to live an austere life,” he notes. Marketers are seeing via an aspiration-ambition lens. The assumption is that everything planned for in life has been achieved already and there’s not much aspiration left. This thought could be flawed.

Channels used to research online purchases — by generation

Online Channels

Did online search for reviews & recommendations:
Baby Boomers – 52%
Gen X – 56%
Millennials – 56%

Visited the company website:
Baby Boomers – 45%
Gen X – 48%
Millennials – 48%

Offline Channels

Visited physical stores to see, try or fit the product
Baby Boomers – 20%
Gen X – 26%
Millennials – 30%
Spoke with my friends or family about it
Baby Boomers – 19%
Gen X – 20%
Millennials – 27%
Source: KPMG International The Truth About Online Consumers

@shinminbali