February 17, 2009 |
WineDirect Admin
The more we all read about Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and other Social Media, the more the Internet starts to look like the domain of plugged in kids who spend their lives online. Sure there’s a need to reach out to this new generation of wine consumers, but wouldn’t it be safer to ignore the internet and concentrate on old methods we know will work with a more established market? No. You can’t write off the internet as a young person’s medium and a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project has surveys to back this view up. To quote the study:
Contrary to the image of Generation Y as the “Net Generation,” internet users in their 20s do not dominate every aspect of online life. Generation X is the most likely group to bank, shop, and look for health information online. Boomers are just as likely as Generation Y to make travel reservations online…even Silent Generation internet users are competitive when it comes to email.
Cleary the internet has become a pervasive fact in American life across all age groups. Younger people are more engaged in social media but Gen X (i.e. 33-44 year olds) are the ones purchasing online in greater numbers. Not to mention that the greatest increase in internet usage is among 70-75 year olds, 45% of whom are currently online compared to 26% just four years ago. This demographic is more comfortable with email than with the newest web technology, but there seems to be a trend of internet activity spreading to older Americans.
So if you were avoiding improving your web presence or getting into e-commerce because you didn’t think that the kids on the ‘net were the market you wanted to reach, you now have no excuses. The Internet is a global phenomenon transcending the boundaries of geography, nationality and yes, even age.
Feb 17, 2009 at 2:49 PM
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