Become a Third Place for Future Third Agers

When researchers at Ghent University and Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School asked groups of older adults how they’d like to be referred to by marketers, the name “seniors” was well-received. Playing to negative reviews was “third age,” seen in uses such as by the Third Age Foundation, where childhood is the first age and the second age covers raising a family and pursuing a career.
     Maybe the poor reception for that name was because many older adults are still engaged in their careers. Still, marketers are wise to recognize that with older adults living longer, those people we’ll call seniors are potential customers for a good while after retirement.
     Results from studies at Macquarie University and University of Tasmania suggest you keep in mind another third: Position yourself as a third place for future third agers. In this usage, the first place is home, the second place is work, and the third place is where you, the marketer, offer services to the senior. The studies find that you achieve this position by encouraging customers and clients to behave like a community.
     The researchers tell of a 68-year-old client who learned that an 88-year-old client was having trouble reading labels while grocery shopping and so arranged to help her with her shopping every fortnight. Other aspects of creating a sense of community were facilitating access of the seniors to information and giving them ample opportunities to make choices. The results, the researchers said, could be viewed as empowering the clients. Third places empower us.
     At the same time, citizens of good communities are not unpleasantly intrusive. Researchers at Université Paris-Est, Monash University, and Concordia University interviewed French consumers about those consumers’ experiences with restaurants, cafés, department stores, concert halls, and libraries. The findings from the analyses were that establishments which evoke certain reactions are especially likely to become third places.
     Many of those reactions identified by the researchers, such as authentic interactions with store staff, are what you would probably expect for a “third place” award. Beyond this, though, there was another reaction which may not have sprung to your attention: Security from intrusions. Café seating which allows those who desire to sit with the back to a wall. A women’s cosmetics section with alcoves in which the shopper can feel a sense of privacy. Waiting rooms insulated from the noise of barking dogs, car repairs, or emergency clinic hustle.

For your success: Retailer’s Edge: Boost Profits Using Shopper Psychology

Click below for more: 
Market to Seniors, not to Elderly
Win First Place As a Secure Third Place
Help Store Shoppers Positively Interact