Check Instructions with Elderly Customers

Don’t forget that the elderly are an increasingly important target market. And don’t forget that the elderly forget. More than younger people do. Researchers at University of Michigan and University of Iowa point out that for the most part, your elderly customers come with a risk of not following instructions for correctly using products they purchase. Here are tips to reduce the risk:

• For products popular with seniors, have large typeface instruction sheets available and offer one to the customer. Or at least, if you see the customer straining to make sense of what it says on the package, show them a larger size package version which they can read. Here’s why: The elderly generally prefer smaller package sizes. That’s true with perishable products when the customer is no longer living with a full family. It’s true when money is tight, since the smaller size is affordable. It’s also true because the elderly often have limited storage areas at home. What does this have to do with understanding instructions? Well, smaller package sizes usually show product usage instructions in smaller letters so everything that’s legally required can fit. And elderly people often experience difficulty reading small print.
• Tell the elderly consumer what to do, not what not to do. Researchers find that the elderly have a dangerous tendency to misremember. They forget the not part.
• To the degree that you have time, deliver the message in different ways. Tell the elderly customer the product usage instructions. Demonstrate your points with gestures or even a sample of usage. Then check for understanding by encouraging the customer to ask you questions. In doing this, be sure to respect the dignity of the customer. If they seem confused, let them know you and others in the store are available later.