As of 2019, Millennials accounted for the largest generation group in the United States of America with a population of 72.1 million, followed by baby boomers with a population of 69.5 million.
In 2020, Gen Z became the largest population group, pushing Millennials to second and Baby boomers to third position.
Despite the shift in their position, baby boomers remain a lucrative market for retailers.
With the growing needs of the baby boomers, most retailers that have long been focusing on the younger generation have realized that offering a satisfying retail experience to seniors is equally necessary.
Making retail experience senior-friendly is not as complicated as it sounds.
With some attention to their specific needs, you can easily optimize their shopping experience, appeal to more senior shoppers, and churn out big profits by serving one of the largest population groups of the country.
Here is how to make your retail store senior-friendly.
Train your staff to meet the needs of senior shoppers
While most seniors don’t find any trouble navigating stores on their own, some require assistance.
Ensure that your staff is trained to deal with the senior shoppers.
Well-trained staff members at a retail store can create a favorable shopping environment for the seniors and attract more senior shoppers.
Providing them assistance in shopping and answering their questions about the products and their features can help to reinforce the faith of senior shoppers.
Furthermore, teach your staff to be more friendly and empathetic towards the seniors as most seniors look at shopping as a social experience.
Provide quality to seniors
As people grow in age, their proclivity to experiment takes a backseat, and they commit their loyalty to specific brands.
They don’t hesitate in paying higher prices for the brands that have won their trust.
Whether it’s a brand or a departmental store, seniors, once they have located their comfort, do not deviate to other paths.
It provides you with a great opportunity to create a loyal customer base in the form of baby boomers.
If you provide quality products and shopping experiences to seniors, they will go nowhere.
Also, educate your staff about every product you have in store for seniors for branding.
Create a senior-friendly store layout
Create a store layout that is easy for seniors to navigate. If you are a multi-level store, keep the products that might appeal to the seniors on ground level.
As some seniors are bound to a wheelchair, ensure that your store is wheelchair accessible.
Pay special attention to signage
Most seniors face difficulty in reading the store directions, price displays, and other signage.
Pay special attention to in-store signage and display.
Use large, clear, and easy-to-read fonts on the store aisle signs. The fonts and colors should be contrasted to ensure that they are clear, concise, and direct.
Place the signage strategically to make your store more accessible.
Don’t ignore their comfort
One of the best ways to make the shopping experience senior-friendly is by prioritizing their comfort.
Seniors always feel a need to sit down and give some rest to their legs after strolling in the store. Provide them comfortable places to sit.
Scatter comfortable chairs or benches throughout your stores so that seniors can relax for a minute or two when they are tired.
The bottom line
As most seniors are still not comfortable with online shopping, retail stores have a good opportunity to get loyalty from one of the largest sections of the population.
By creating a welcoming and comfortable experience for seniors, you can capture a growing market.