More than half of the elderly in the Italian market participate in online shopping

According to the latest survey data from the Internet, more than half of the elderly in the Italian market participate in online shopping. This group has a very strong purchasing power because they have plenty of time and money, and they tend to buy health care, technology and pet care products on e-commerce platforms.

Data shows that the proportion of elderly people participating in online shopping in the Italian market has reached 51.1%, of which 28.8% are frequent online shoppers , 36.1% said they shopped online last month , and only 24.7% said they seldom shopped online.

In terms of online shopping expenses, 37.1% of the elderly spend 100-300 euros a year on online shopping , and 25.8 % of the elderly spend more than 300 euros a year . The vast majority of elderly consumers are satisfied with this expenditure .

There are three main reasons why the elderly choose online shopping: the convenience of shopping and home delivery ( 44.6%), the economic convenience (22.3%), and the diversity of products (16.9%). The multiple advantages of online shopping have made the elderly an important target customer in the Italian e-commerce market .

Surprisingly, the preferred products for online shopping for Italian seniors are electronic products and small appliances , accounting for 16.7%; followed by health and pharmaceutical products , accounting for 14.9% ; home and garden DIY products, accounting for 10.4%; cosmetics and hygiene body care products , accounting for 9.5%; and clothing, accounting for 7.7% .

It is worth mentioning that pet products are very popular in the Italian e-commerce market. 14.3% of Italian seniors frequently purchase pet care products, while 9.2% of seniors frequently purchase pet food online.

In terms of the choice of shopping websites, well-known brands or trusted websites are the first choice of Italian seniors, accounting for 19.9%; followed by home delivery websites , accounting for 19.1%; websites with specific products accounted for 16.9%; and websites recommended by friends or relatives accounted for 13.2%.

When it comes to payment methods for online shopping , prepaid cards are the most frequently used , accounting for 38.3% , followed by credit cards , accounting for 27.7% , cash on delivery accounting for 12.8% , PayPal accounting for 11.7% , and bank transfer accounting for 9.6%.

In response to the phenomenon that more and more elderly people are shopping online , Italian senior president Feder Anziani Eleonora Selvi said that during the epidemic isolation period, many elderly people have become accustomed to using digital tools, and the gap between them and young people is gradually narrowing . Today's elderly people are becoming more and more digitalized and are more willing to choose online shopping .

Italian e-commerce market