Packaging, Legibility Pose Challenges for Older Adults

JULIE GALLAGHER

LAS VEGAS — When asked to demonstrate how he opens pull-tab packaging, one member of a recent 55-year-old-plus focus group pulled out a multipurpose tool.

“It had pliers, scissors and a lever, and he keeps this very close at hand in his home,” Paul Murray, director of strategy and planning for Varsity, a mature market consultancy, told attendees during the session “Impact of the Changing Senior Market on Retailers,” part of the Food Marketing Institute Show held here earlier this month.

Another person in the group discovered, for the first time, words identifying a “pull tab” feature on a package of Dial soap. “Most people who have trouble opening packaging also have trouble with their eyesight,” he said.

Indeed, said Murray, it remains that “a lot of the easy-to-open marketing is obscure, hidden or written in far too small type for members of the 55-plus market to see. If you have a 28-year-old setting the type for packaging, a 12-point font may seem really large, but in reality it's the minimum level for clear legibility.”

It behooves marketers to take notice of the changing needs of aging Baby Boomers, especially since they possess more than 75% of the nation's wealth, Murray said.

“Members of the demographic will switch brands based on which are easy to open and which aren't.”

He gained these and other insights through Varsity's “Project Looking Glass,” which comprises a series of focus groups, shop-alongs, personal interviews, a national quantitative survey, and brand and category research. Varsity hopes to create a predictive model based on the emotional mind-set and physiological needs of consumers over 55.

Preliminary findings reveal that 43% of Americans over 55 have difficulty opening bottles and cans; 38% have difficulty opening packaging; 23% indicated that small fonts are hard to read; and 9% have difficulty reading nutrition labels.

“A moderator asked if anyone ever noticed a package that was marketed as easy to open, and no one responded,” said Murray. “Easy-to-use containers should be marketed as such.”

Retailers can appeal to members of the age group by improving the accessibility of these items.

Fifty-four percent of the respondents who have trouble when shopping revealed that some items are hard to reach (too high/too low); 27% said items are hard to find; 27% have difficulty navigating crowds; 22% said it's hard for them to read prices; 18% had difficulty with the width of the aisle; and 17% had trouble with clutter.

“It's easy enough to move some products down, or at least have an on-staff floater who can assist in reaching hard-to-reach items,” said Murray.

Retailers should also take shopping behavior into account when marketing to members of the demographic.

The majority of shoppers in the age group (86%) make a list of items they need to purchase; 63% check their supply of goods before they go shopping; and in the 65-and-older age category men make 40% of the shopping decisions.

“Since consumers are planning ahead at home, the sooner you can get your product or brand to that point of decision in the home, the better,” said Murray.

He suggested direct-mailing free product samples, rather than offering buy-one, get-one-free offers.

“BOGOs don't work well with this crowd, especially when it comes to products that don't have long shelf lives,” noted Murray. “They're trying to find smaller portions.”

Smaller-size items, such as a half loaf of bread or a quarter-size jar of pasta sauce, can support higher prices as a result.

Products touting health benefits, such as fiber content, also appeal to members of the demographic. Ninety percent of older Americans are trying to eat healthy, said Murray.

Members of the age group tend to favor the term “older adults” to “seniors,” and they report an overall sense of being talked down to.

“A real attempt to be positive and very clear is recommended,” Murray said.