New data released by Australia’s largest online retailer, Kogan.com, has revealed tablet usage among older Australians has increased by more than 500% compared to last year, while desktop usage is seeing a substantial decline.
Kogan.com’s data, sourced from over 8 million shoppers on the site, has shown the number of people over the age of 45 choosing to shop online has been growing significantly in the last year, and their device habits are ahead of the curve compared to other generations. Both smartphone and tablet shopping on Kogan.com saw massive increases.
The data also revealed that Australians over the age of 65 made 15.3% of their purchases using a tablet during Q3 2014 – a huge 517% increase by comparison to Q4 2013* which saw only 2.48% of transactions on a tablet.
Similarly, purchases made on a tablet by Aussies in the 45-54 age recorded the highest increase (590%) in Q3 2014 than any other age group, indicating that the majority of older Australians are likely to use a tablet to do their Christmas shopping this year.
Ruslan Kogan, CEO and founder of Kogan.com, said it was no surprise that older Aussies were choosing to shop online using mobile devices.
“My grandma finds it incredibly difficult to use a laptop – all the buttons and different functions overwhelm her. But, give her an iPad and she’s watching YouTube or making Skype calls like an expert in no time.
“Apple has designed some beautiful products that made great technology more usable for everyone, including people who had never used a computer before. Many people are buying iPads for their parents and grandparents because they are so easy to use and they don’t have to run a 24/7 helpdesk for them.
“We’re now seeing people, young and old, transact on mobiles and tablets more than ever before. So while the general trend towards mobile e-commerce is not altogether surprising, the rate at which elderly Australians are embracing iPads and other tablets for online shopping is great to see.”
Kogan.com’s data also showed that women are ditching the desktop computer in favour of tablets and smartphones faster than their male counterparts.
Tablet usage among females increased by 660% in 2014 compared to 2013, while tablet usage among males increased by 481%.
Desktop computer usage amongst the elderly has fallen by 16% in the same period while smartphone usage increased by 47%, showing that older Aussie are rapidly ditching desktops and moving to mobile devices.
“Our data shows that if you’re going to shop online, tablets and smartphones are becoming increasingly prominent ways of making purchases,” Ruslan Kogan added.
*Prior to this period no data was collected by Kogan.com
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