The following article is an excerpt from the diploma thesis of our intern Marek Konečný. We also added a helping hand to the creation of his work.
In the article you will learn, for example:
The article was revised and updated in May 2026.
- to what extent do seniors use the Internet to buy goods,
- what are the decisive factors for them when choosing a shopping chain,
- whether they use social networks,
- to what extent they are influenced by advertisements.
Seniors are a specific and fast-growing segment that was not very attractive until recently, but thanks to the rapid aging of the population, they are becoming a significant part of the market that will no longer be ignored in the future. We are currently observing significant demographic changes that are happening not only in the world, but also in Slovakia.
Consumers generally differ in their purchasing preferences, needs, experience or even age, but they have one thing in common. They have the opportunity to carefully choose from a huge number of new products, present not only on the Internet.
However, in today's age of the Internet, consumers/seniors are still better informed about the goods and services offered, they are more able to buy, more aware, but also more demanding than previous generations.
They are slowly and gradually adapting to technological innovations, their interest in computers and the Internet is growing, which is also evidenced by growing digital literacy. For them, shopping online is very practical, comfortable and, with the passage of time, safer and easier.
Thanks to online marketing tools and modern technologies, companies can better address and target their potential customers, with whom they communicate through various channels.
Seniors are most often approached by retail chains through print advertising and flyers, but more and more traditional channels are being replaced by social networks.
Companies are investing more and more money in online marketing and therefore the overall cost of promotion and the necessary investment in online advertising is constantly increasing. It is a strong competitive battle for customers, for leading positions in search engines, a battle for advertising in a visible place, simply a battle for attention.
Of course, this is a striking difference between seniors in Slovakia and seniors in developed European countries, since the average retirement pension in Slovakia represents less than half of the average wage in the economy, Slovak seniors cannot afford to maintain such a solid standard of living as seniors in advanced economies, in essence, aging at retirement age reduces their purchasing power.
Another impact on consumer behavior is the natural change in purchasing preferences and their needs. Since older people do less sports, do not have to travel to work and otherwise take vacations, this means for many industries that the larger the proportion of seniors, the smaller their market, or their traditional market, which ultimately may not be a problem but an opportunity.
Thanks to the growing potential of this segment, the market providing goods and services is also developing, and therefore products and services must reflect and satisfy the real needs of customers, as seniors do not form one homogeneous segment. Their behavior differs according to age, financial background, place of residence, or health status.
The share of people over 50 years of age in the total population is still growing, this market segment is considered attractive and promising, but in terms of the offer of products and services, it is not sufficiently developed.
For the business sector, this group of consumers can be interesting mainly because they have considerable purchasing power and a willingness to use accumulated savings to maintain or increase their consumption even in old age.
Today's seniors are healthier, more informed and more interested in being integrated into society than ever before. Even though they are physically older, they still feel young mentally, which is why they adjust their consumer behavior accordingly.
Shopping for goods via the Internet
Today, online shopping is popular not only among young customers, but it is also increasingly used by seniors and the older age group of people. The biggest advantage of shopping on the Internet compared to shopping in a physical store is the convenience that shopping through an e-shop provides, other advantages such as a quick comparison of prices and product offers, which saves the customer time and energy.
Currently, more and more companies realize that seniors represent an attractive consumer group that has its own specific needs. These are very well-informed, suspicious, financially independent, mature and demanding customers with incredible purchasing power who expect comfort and an understandable - authentic offer.
We also set the following sub-goals that helped us complete the project:
- zistiť, či seniori a ľudia v pokročilom veku nakupujú cez internet, alebo za nich nákup realizuje rodina,
- zistiť, či si tovary a služby vyhľadávajú cez internet,
- zistiť, aké konkrétne typy produktov nakupujú online zákazníci tejto generácie,
- zistiť, či seniorov zaujímajú letáky alebo iná tlačená reklama maloobchodov,
- zistiť, či seniori používajú sociálne siete a vďaka tomu určiť, či má zmysel aj cez tieto komunikačné kanály riešiť marketingovú stratégiu,
- overiť aké významné faktory ovplyvňujú seniorov pri voľbe maloobchodného reťazca.
By analyzing the collected primary data from the questionnaire, which was implemented on a sample of 100 respondents, we subsequently verified the validity of the hypotheses:
Hypothesis no. 1:
We assume that at least half of the seniors are already actively using the Internet, and a larger part of them also has experience with shopping via the Internet.
Hypothesis no. 2:
We assume that older people are influenced by print advertising of retail chains and look for discounted goods.
Hypothesis no. 3:
We assume that the decisive factor in the purchase is the price of the goods.
Evaluation of questions from the questionnaire and subsequent interpretation of the results
We analyzed and described in detail the results of a survey conducted by us on a sample of 100 people. The questionnaire is mostly about online shopping, and we compiled it from questions that were supposed to help us answer our hypotheses.
Of the total number of 100 respondents over the age of 51, 73% were women and 27% were men, including 74 people who exceeded the age limit of 65+. Most of the respondents were in the age range of 76-80 years, and the least in the lowest range, i.e. 51-55 years.
The second question was whether these people know how to use the Internet. 57% of people answered the question positively, meaning that they use the Internet. The remaining 43% of respondents state that they either do not use the Internet, do not need it, do not understand it or do not have the opportunity to use it at home.
Ďalšie otázky spojené s nákupom cez internet boli vyhradené iba pre používateľov, teda 57% ľudí, ktorí odpovedali, že internet používajú. Zvyšný počet respondentov odpovedal iba na zvyšné otázky týkajúce sa maloobchodov, faktorov vplývajúcich na ich nákupné rozhodovanie sa a offline, resp. flyer advertising.
In the supplementary, or in the voluntary part of the questionnaire, we asked our respondents to state the names of the stores where they shop online and to write what products they have already bought and what products they are going to buy online.
The most frequently mentioned in our answers were larger online stores such as Alza.sk, MALL.sk, AndreaShop.sk, 4home.sk, Datart.sk, the most famous price and product comparator Heureka.sk, discount portals such as ZľavaDňa.sk, Zlavomat.sk and Zľavoking.sk and bookstores Martinus.sk, PantaRhei.sk, the pharmacy DrMax.sk and many others are also mentioned specialized e-shops, thanks to which we have an idea of what products and product categories older online customers are interested in.
Since one of our sub-goals was to find out what specific types of goods online customers of this generation buy, we learned from secondary and also primary sources that it mostly involves the purchase of electronics and electrical appliances, interior and exterior household items and equipment, garden equipment, books, they are also interested in drugstores and cosmetics, nutritional supplements and over-the-counter medicines, but also sports equipment, fishing equipment, clothes and shoes, they often buy toys and children's goods for grandchildren. However, they are also interested in services such as wellness, air tickets and holidays, insurance and cultural or sports events.
To our question whether they buy goods and services online, only 79% of people answered positively, and 21% added to the answer "No" that they need to feel the products and see them in person before buying.
They prefer to buy products that they search for on the Internet in brick-and-mortar stores, they prefer personal contact not only with the product, but also with a person in the store who will provide them with the necessary "know-how" or can advise them when choosing a product, better explain the use of the products, thoroughly explain the operation, or technical service of electrical appliances. Pri nákupe väčších produktov sa radi ubezpečujú, že im nový tovar dodajú až domov, kde ho vymenia za starý.
After the control question, whether they buy goods and services by themselves, the percentage of people who do not buy online decreased to only 5%, and 19% of people moved to the group in which family or friends help them with online shopping. Up to 76% of people who shop online no longer need such help when shopping, which proves that we have succeeded in verifying our hypothesis No. 1.
We were surprised that up to 40% of the respondents buy goods regularly at least once a month, 46% at least once every six months and 4% even more than once a month. From the respondents' answers, we deduced that online orders from Tesco, which also offers home delivery of food, can be the cause of such frequent purchases.
So we asked another question, which would include ordering food for home as well as ordering ready and prepared meals from restaurants. We were interested in whether seniors have experience ordering food via the Internet.
Up to 31% of respondents who use the Internet answered that they already have experience ordering food via the Internet. Buying groceries online is a great advantage for seniors, as many of them have mobility problems and can no longer carry heavy purchases home. Tesco, which offers the online shopping service, states that about ten percent of all customers who use this service are over 65 years of age, and their number is still increasing.
Advertising and marketing campaigns have the task not only of reaching customers and arousing the need for a given product or service, but the purpose should also be appropriate interactive and authentic communication that is comprehensible for the given segment or age group of customers, including seniors.
Thanks to the growth in the number of older users social networks we can communicate more efficiently and promptly through this channel as well. Another sub-goal was to find out whether seniors use social networks and, thanks to this, to determine whether it makes sense to solve a marketing strategy through these communication channels.
To the question of whether seniors use social networks, we received a clear answer that 66% of Internet users are also on social networks, which ultimately means that a Facebook page for the seniorovo.sk project can make sense, and advertising created for this communication channel can be an effective tool to reach modern retirees or their younger family members who are thinking about buying goods for them.
However, the best means of communication in our case is still print advertising or another form of offline advertising. In the end, it can still have a positive effect on website traffic, an increase in the number of newsletter subscribers, etc.
Thanks to the survey, we also learned that up to 66% of older people are still interested in flyer advertising that they receive in their mailboxes or pick up directly from the store of their favorite retail chain. 34% percent of people do not read leaflets and do not adapt their purchasing decisions to them.
Thanks to the answers to the question to what extent the respondents think they are influenced by the advertising of retail chains in their purchasing behavior or purchase decisions, but also thanks to the answers to the previous question, which clearly showed that they take out and read leaflets, we think that seniors do not even know whether or not they are influenced by advertising and do not even feel that advertising, for example in the form of leaflets, could influence them when shopping.
Only one respondent stated that the advertisement affects him a lot, and one could not answer the question. 18 respondents said that advertising does not influence them at all, 21 admitted that advertising can influence them, and 59 respondents feel that advertising rather does not influence their purchasing behavior or purchasing decisions.
Using the method of in-depth interviews with randomly selected respondents who were willing to cooperate, we found that they almost always adapt part of their purchase to the promotions listed in the flyers and thus buy a larger amount of goods that are on sale in advance. They adapt not only their shopping lists to discounted goods, but sometimes also their menus.
Some devote a lot of free time to shopping and are willing to travel to a store with discounted goods, or to combine discounts and make purchases in different chains.
The most frequently mentioned shops in the respondents' answers were Lidl, Kaufland and Tesco. The Lidl store chain finished in first place with a clear lead and was voted for by up to 39 respondents, Kaufland took second place, voted for by 19 respondents, and Tesco took third place, voted for by 17 respondents. 12 seniors go shopping in the Billa chain, and Coop Jednota, Albert, Metro and Bonami share the last places.
Our next task was to verify the validity of the third hypothesis and find out why people prefer certain retail chains, or what are the decisive factors that influence the choice of stores in which they shop. Respondents could choose from different answers and mark several options that influence them when choosing their favorite retail chain.
As can be seen, the fewest people answered that the reason why they shop in the store is precisely the wide assortment of goods. 4 people who answered that there are no other stores in their vicinity do not have the opportunity to shop in other stores.
For many of us, the decisive factor is that we don't have to stand in a long line, but this option received only 12 votes, as well as the reason that they meet their friends and acquaintances in the store. Good
Counseling and willing store employees were also not decisive, but 8 respondents use it. Twice as many respondents are interested in the cleanliness of the store. Simple orientation in sales premises has 26 votes, which is the same number as the fact that the store sells interesting or unusual goods. The largest number of votes goes to the availability and proximity of the store, as up to 64 people out of 100 mentioned it as the most common reason why they visit the store.
For 44 people, the quality and freshness of the food is decisive, and only 30 people chose the price as the reason why they shop in the store, which somewhat disproves our hypothesis #3 that the price is a decisive factor. The decisive factor is availability, or proximity to the store. The second reason given is the quality and freshness of food, which is much more important than the price of food for our sample of seniors.
Thanks to a detailed analysis of the answers from the respondents, which we received thanks to the questionnaire and thanks to personal interviews, we verified the validity of the three hypotheses we established in this subsection. When asked if our respondents use the Internet, more than half (57%) of people answered that they use the Internet, and up to 95% of these people look for goods and services on it.
79% of respondents answered positively to our question whether they buy goods and services via the Internet, which confirmed hypothesis no. 1, in which we assumed that at least half of seniors already actively use the Internet and that a larger part of them also has experience with shopping via the Internet.
In the second hypothesis, we assumed that seniors are influenced by printed advertising of retail chains and look for discounted goods. Thanks to the question of whether promotional flyers are important for seniors and play a significant role for them in purchasing decisions, we learned that up to 66% of older people are still interested in the flyer advertising they receive in their mailboxes.
However, through the method of in-depth interviews, we found out that they adapt a certain part of their purchase to the promotions listed in the flyers and thus buy a larger amount of goods that are on sale in advance.
Some respondents admitted that they spend time shopping, are willing to travel to more distant stores for discounted goods, or combine discounts and make purchases in different chains.
Thanks to which we can confirm the second part of hypothesis No. 2, i.e. that seniors look for discounted goods, not only directly in stores, but also before purchasing, and therefore that they adapt the purchase to discounts.
However, in the other answers, only one respondent stated that advertising influences him a lot, and another 18 respondents said that advertising does not influence them at all, 21 admitted that advertising can influence them, and up to 59 respondents feel that advertising rather does not influence their purchasing behavior or purchase decisions.
Since it contradicts itself in a certain way, we can assume that seniors often do not even know that they are being influenced by printed advertising in the form of promotional flyers, or they do not feel influenced by printed advertising and feel free to make decisions when purchasing.
As it emerged from the in-depth interviews that leaflets, or the promotional price of goods is essential when choosing products, we believe that seniors are to some extent manipulated by promotions and discounted goods, which they also buy to a greater extent, however, directly from the answers, we were not able to clearly prove or disprove the second hypothesis.
Hypothesis no. remains unclear as well. 3, in which we assumed that the decisive factor in the purchase is the price of the goods.
The answers showed that the biggest impact on seniors and their choice of retail store is the availability and proximity of the store, as 64 people out of 100 cited it as the most common reason why they visit the store.
Availability thus becomes the decisive factor, which disproves our hypothesis No. 3, but we continue to assume that the price is the most important factor for the 30% of respondents who are able to travel further for shopping.
Conclusion
Thanks to a thorough analysis of the market development and the conducted research, we can conclude that investing in online promotion can help companies gain new customers and older generations, since more than half of seniors already actively use the Internet to buy products.
Although traditional marketing tools are experiencing a gradual decline, as we managed to confirm, up to 66% of seniors regularly read printed advertising that they receive in their mailboxes, and the promotional price of goods is essential for them when choosing products.
The majority of respondents also stated that print advertising does not influence their purchasing behavior, from which we deduce that seniors often do not even know that they are being influenced by this form of advertising.
With a sense of free decision-making, they can be manipulated to a certain extent by the actions of store chains and perceive advertising as information about discounted goods, which they later buy in larger quantities.
In the practical part, we also examined the decisive factors when purchasing in retail stores and assumed that the decisive factor in the purchase will be the price of the goods. We found that the biggest impact on seniors and their choice of retail store is the availability and proximity of the store, as up to 64 people out of 100 cited it as the most common reason why they visit the store.
The price ended up as the third most important factor, and the quality and freshness of the food comes to the fore. Favorite chains for seniors are Lidl, Kaufland and Tesco, they even offer online grocery shopping and home delivery.
Although only 31% of respondents who use the Internet answered that they already have experience ordering food via the Internet, buying food online is a great advantage especially for people with limited mobility.
Elderly people can no longer carry heavy purchases and for that reason they prefer to be close to a store. People older than 65 make up only about ten percent of all those who use the online grocery shopping service.
They most often buy electronics, household equipment, books, drugstores and cosmetics, nutritional supplements and over-the-counter medicines, but also sports equipment, clothes, shoes and gifts for family and loved ones via the Internet. However, they are also interested in cheap flights and holidays, wellness, cultural or sports events, insurance and other services.
We were surprised that up to 40% of the respondents buy goods regularly at least once a month, 4% even more than once a month, which is probably due to the growing interest in online grocery shopping.
Primary research of the work and verification of hypotheses:
We have confirmed that at least half of the seniors are already actively using the Internet, and a larger part of them also have experience with online shopping.
It has been confirmed to us that older people are to a certain extent influenced by the print advertising of retail chains, as the greater part of them still read it and search for discounted goods based on it.
We disproved that the decisive factor in the purchase is the price of the goods and we found out that the decisive factor becomes the availability, or proximity to the store.
Author: Marek Konečný
