Middle-Aged, Elderly Spend More Online Than Young

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Middle-aged and elderly people are spending more money on online shopping than younger people, with many of those aged 50 and older buying expensive home electronics over the Internet, an online survey by The Nikkei has found.

The Nikkei asked 1,000 people aged 20-69 how much they spend on retail websites and what they buy. The Nikkei conducted the online survey over three days in early March in cooperation with research firm Macromill Inc. (3730).

The survey found 88.6% of respondents said they shop online, with 60% of those citing reasonable prices and the ability to shop anytime, anywhere as reasons. Nearly 50% of Net shoppers said they liked being able to compare prices, and 46% respondents said they plan to shop more online in the future.

Across all age groups, 56.5% of respondents said they spend more than 5,000 yen a month. In the 50 and older age group, however, the figure was 61.9%.

Of all Net shoppers, 4.2% said they spend more than 30,000 yen a month, compared with 5.8% of those age 50 and up, highlighting the fact that big spenders tend to be older.

Among the oldest online shoppers, 57% had used the Net to buy home electronics, compared with 49.9% for all age groups. As for food purchases, 52% of middle-aged and elderly people bought items online, far higher than the 41.1% of respondents who had made such purchases among all age groups.

The survey underscored the importance of middle-aged and elderly consumers in driving the growth of the online shopping market.

(The Nikkei, March 22 morning edition)

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