Silver Surfers Claim Larger Share Of UK Online Population
The share of the UK internet population made up of ‘Silver Surfers’ (55+ year olds) has increased from 16% to 19% over the past year (October 2006 -October 2007), according to the latest research from Nielsen Online.
Nielsen Online said that during the same period, the share made up of under 25s has decreased from 29% to 25%, a relative drop in share of 16%.
Overall, the average age of the UK internet population has risen from 35.7 to 37.9 in this period.
Alex Burmaster, internet analyst, Nielsen Online, said: “When looking at how a particular audience is composed by age, a change in share – even by just a few percentage points – actually represents quite a fundamental shift.
“Age compositions tend to evolve subtly over a number of years so to see such large changes in the course of just a year shows that the Internet population is undergoing a significant ageing process.
“It will be very interesting to see whether this trend continues over the next 12 months and, if so, whether the types of services and products offered and marketed online adapt to reflect this changing population. New online offerings and technology are usually targeted at the young, but it’s possible brands could be missing a trick if they continue down this path in the future.”
Nielsen Online found that five of the ten online brands with the youngest average age concern entertainment, four concern social networking, while the five online brands with the oldest average age are all familiar ‘high-street’ brands
| Brands* with youngest UK Unique Audience average age: October 2007 | |||
| Rank | Brand* | Average Age | Primary nature of offering |
| 1 | MiniClip | 28.1 | Online games |
| 2 | LimeWire | 28.9 | File-sharing |
| 3 | Bebo | 29.4 | Social network |
| 4 | Nickelodeon Kids & Family Network | 29.6 | Entertainment (kids) |
| 5 | RockYou! | 31.1 | Social network tool |
| 6 | Slide | 31.4 | Social network tool |
| 6 | Disney Online | 31.4 | Entertainment (kids) |
| 8 | CNET Networks Entertainment | 33.2 | Entertainment (TV/games) |
| 9 | Fox Interactive Media | 33.4 | Social network |
| 10 | Gorilla Nation Media | 34.2 | Entertainment (various) |
| Source: Nielsen Online, UK NetView, home & work data, including applications, October 2007 | |||
| Brands with oldest UK Unique Audience average age: October 2007 | |||
| Rank | Brand | Average Age | Primary nature of offering |
| 100 | Marks & Spencer | 46.5 | Retailer |
| 97 | The National Lottery | 44.9 | Lottery |
| 97 | John Lewis | 44.9 | Retailer |
| 97 | BT | 44.9 | Telecoms |
| 96 | Nationwide | 44.5 | Financial services |
| 95 | Ciao! | 43.9 | Price comparison / reviews |
| 94 | Friends Reunited | 43.8 | Social network |
| 92 | Money Saving Expert | 43.5 | Financial advice |
| 92 | Tiscali | 43.5 | Telecoms |
| 91 | TUI | 43.2 | Travel |
| Source: Nielsen Online, UK NetView, home & work data, including applications, October 2007 | |||
Burmaster added: “Apart from age, there are two very obvious distinctions between brands with the youngest and oldest audiences. Firstly, young-audience brands tend to be about being entertained or making friends whereas older-audience brands are about products and services.
“Secondly, those with the youngest audiences tend to be pure online players – only Nickelodeon and Disney have recognisable online offerings – whereas brands with the oldest audiences are dominated by those who have a real-world presence.
“After all, it isn’t surprising that older audiences who haven’t grown up with the Internet should gravitate towards brands with which they’ve had a familiar ‘bricks and mortar’ relationship with in the past. Their use of the Internet also tends to be more functional than younger age groups for whom it is very much about fun.”
The total number of people using the internet over the third quarter of 2007 comes to 30.6 million according to figures released by BMRB, a year on year increase of 7.9% (see Online Usage Round-Up Q3 2007).
Nielsen Online: www.nielsen-online.com