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What's Old is New: Tech for Seniors
Posted 2/ 4 10 at 1:48 PM | Business Trends, Technology, Online Business, Consumer Products & Services
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A A ASeems the ultimate TV mom of the 1970s has the pulse on a hot market for 2010: tech for seniors. Making the leap from The Brady Bunch to entrepreneurship, Florence Henderson has started the FloH Club, a membership-based telephone tech support service for seniors.
Henderson is definitely on to something big. The senior market is over 37 million strong in the U.S. alone and is still "a vastly under tapped market. It's a huge opportunity and a perfectly wide open field," says David Lindeman, director of the nonprofit Center for Technology and Aging. For tech entrepreneurs, having a senior moment can be a good thing.
Henderson is definitely on to something big. The senior market is over 37 million strong in the U.S. alone and is still "a vastly under tapped market. It's a huge opportunity and a perfectly wide open field," says David Lindeman, director of the nonprofit Center for Technology and Aging. For tech entrepreneurs, having a senior moment can be a good thing.
But it can be hard for entrepreneurs new to this market to grasp the sheer variety of technology wants and needs of the older population. Some seniors just want to stay in touch with their grandchildren online. Some may need home monitoring technology in order to stay in their homes. Some are just as tech savvy as any teenager -- boomer seniors in particular are more comfortable with technology in general than previous generations. Lindeman is keeping an eye on certain growth areas. "Mobile and smartphones are clearly growing not only for the general population, but for this population as well. This includes modified phones for older adults as vision changes and phones that are more accessible and simpler." He also sees social networking used as a way for older adults, families, and caregivers to communicate.
Seniors are looking for technologies that are simple to use but not dumbed down. It has to work right out of the box and not require extensive setup procedures. That goes for everything from Web sites to digital cameras. Tech support is another major point. "People really benefit from concierge services. They gravitate to technologies that have support and have very accessible help on the technical side," says Lindeman.
Max Drucker is putting a spin on technical support as a partner with the FloH Club. The idea for FloH Club started when Henderson was trying to learn her way around her cell phone and turned to Drucker, who helped her figure out how to use email on her phone. "She felt empowered. She said, 'Wouldn't it be great if people like me had people like you who they could call all the time?'" says Drucker. The FloH Club took that idea and launched in October 2009.
The FloH Club has fewer than 10 employees, but a strategic partnership with Support.com makes their service possible. Support.com provides the call center, while Drucker, Henderson, and their colleagues work on the marketing and the message. "We have shied away from fear-based marketing. We're trying to refine the message of connecting with your kids and grandkids, learning more and saving money," says Drucker. They use North American tech support personnel to overcome the stigma that tech support is difficult to communicate with.
Get the Message
Misconceptions about the senior market run rampant. Not all seniors are fearful about technology or resistant to using it. They want a lot of the same things any consumer does: just plain usable technology. "Technology has to be very accessible and cool," says Lindeman. "Older adults don't want something obtrusive that makes them stand out as different." Technology businesses need to find ways to connect to seniors and see technology from their perspective.
One way for a small tech business to refine its message is to conduct focus groups. "There's nothing more important than doing direct work with the product with the consumers themselves," says Lindeman.
Drucker realized the importance of this factor early on, as the FloH Club conducted focus groups with seniors. He still sees the refining of the club's message as an ongoing project. In a market that so few technology entrepreneurs have addressed, small businesses have to do a lot of groundbreaking in terms of finding what strategies work in reaching out to seniors.
The FloH Club won't be the last startup to jump into the senior market, but there's still plenty of room in the water. Areas to keep an eye on include assistive technologies, social services, remote monitoring, medication management and online shopping. "It's an important market that has barely been touched. The key issue is getting to know the older adult population and its variability and really looking at what older adults want," says Lindeman. From gadgets to high-tech canes to social sites, seniors are ready and willing to take on technology.
Web Sites for Seniors
A mini-boom is underway in the development of Web sites aimed at the senior market. Seniors don't necessarily want to spend four hours a day playing Mob Wars on Facebook, but they still want to take full advantage of what the Web has to offer. The following Web sites are showing off their senior-savvy.
Grandparents.com
This community-oriented site features city guides, toy reviews, expert advice, videos and forums designed to enhance grandparents' relationships with their families.
Caring.com
Caring.com is geared for caregivers, another huge market that goes hand in hand with seniors. There is an information and resource focus to the site, with advice, blogs and question and answer sections.
firstSTREET
firstSTREET's tagline is "For Boomers and Beyond." It puts a twist on ecommerce gift buying by specifically targeting seniors.
Seniors are looking for technologies that are simple to use but not dumbed down. It has to work right out of the box and not require extensive setup procedures. That goes for everything from Web sites to digital cameras. Tech support is another major point. "People really benefit from concierge services. They gravitate to technologies that have support and have very accessible help on the technical side," says Lindeman.
Max Drucker is putting a spin on technical support as a partner with the FloH Club. The idea for FloH Club started when Henderson was trying to learn her way around her cell phone and turned to Drucker, who helped her figure out how to use email on her phone. "She felt empowered. She said, 'Wouldn't it be great if people like me had people like you who they could call all the time?'" says Drucker. The FloH Club took that idea and launched in October 2009.
The FloH Club has fewer than 10 employees, but a strategic partnership with Support.com makes their service possible. Support.com provides the call center, while Drucker, Henderson, and their colleagues work on the marketing and the message. "We have shied away from fear-based marketing. We're trying to refine the message of connecting with your kids and grandkids, learning more and saving money," says Drucker. They use North American tech support personnel to overcome the stigma that tech support is difficult to communicate with.
Get the Message
Misconceptions about the senior market run rampant. Not all seniors are fearful about technology or resistant to using it. They want a lot of the same things any consumer does: just plain usable technology. "Technology has to be very accessible and cool," says Lindeman. "Older adults don't want something obtrusive that makes them stand out as different." Technology businesses need to find ways to connect to seniors and see technology from their perspective.
One way for a small tech business to refine its message is to conduct focus groups. "There's nothing more important than doing direct work with the product with the consumers themselves," says Lindeman.
Drucker realized the importance of this factor early on, as the FloH Club conducted focus groups with seniors. He still sees the refining of the club's message as an ongoing project. In a market that so few technology entrepreneurs have addressed, small businesses have to do a lot of groundbreaking in terms of finding what strategies work in reaching out to seniors.
The FloH Club won't be the last startup to jump into the senior market, but there's still plenty of room in the water. Areas to keep an eye on include assistive technologies, social services, remote monitoring, medication management and online shopping. "It's an important market that has barely been touched. The key issue is getting to know the older adult population and its variability and really looking at what older adults want," says Lindeman. From gadgets to high-tech canes to social sites, seniors are ready and willing to take on technology.
Web Sites for Seniors
A mini-boom is underway in the development of Web sites aimed at the senior market. Seniors don't necessarily want to spend four hours a day playing Mob Wars on Facebook, but they still want to take full advantage of what the Web has to offer. The following Web sites are showing off their senior-savvy.
Grandparents.com
This community-oriented site features city guides, toy reviews, expert advice, videos and forums designed to enhance grandparents' relationships with their families.
Caring.com
Caring.com is geared for caregivers, another huge market that goes hand in hand with seniors. There is an information and resource focus to the site, with advice, blogs and question and answer sections.
firstSTREET
firstSTREET's tagline is "For Boomers and Beyond." It puts a twist on ecommerce gift buying by specifically targeting seniors.
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