Designing For Retiring Baby Boomers Becoming Big Business
from the boomer-mania dept
For years, it's been predicted that as the baby boom generation started reaching retirement age, companies would finally start focusing on designing products for senior citizens. In the past, it's always been a much smaller focus -- but with such a large demographic all heading into the silver years at the same time (and with great purchasing power), it comes as no surprise that suddenly, it's fashionable to be designing products for a generation older than you. Prior to this, many felt that few companies focused on designing products for an older generation, because most working people had obviously never gone through the process of being elderly. The article doesn't talk too much about technology (a little about automobile design, mainly), but it's likely that we're going to see plenty more articles along these lines -- and maybe a few less focusing on teenagers and young adults.
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you are kidding right?
I think the baby boomers are going to continue the emerging trend of making the government buy your stuff for you. They already expect it, because their parents have been successful at opening those doors. And because of this expectation that the government is going to buy your stuff for you, the baby boomers haven't been wise stewards of their money, and haven't held onto it.
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Re: you are kidding right? or are you just ignoran
Adam Smith's view of "the invisible hand" originated in his Theory of Moral Sentiments, which is frequently ignored by those without the ability to comprehend (let alone assimilate!) ethical concepts. Of course, if you work for the corporate welfare queens of KBR, Halliburton, or numerous others, none of this will make sense.
Since they played a big role in the development and use of technology, Boomers will find ways to use existing technology -- and more -- in their retirement.
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Re: Re: you are kidding right? or are you just ign
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Cell Phones and Remotes
Then create a simple remote control with a minimal number of big, easy-to-read and easy-to-press buttons to control a television.
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Re: Cell Phones and Remotes
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Re: Cell Phones and Remotes
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My dad has just fallen victim to this new "trend". The day before his 55th birthday he was "let go" from his 25+ year position, the last 12 he spent as a supervisor. He's not the first of his co-workers to be terminated around this age for no good reason. And Eaton is not the only guilty company, Ford has a class action suit against them for similar reasons.
Now, my dad, and others in his situation, who planned to work another 10 years making $50,000 a year, adding to their growing pension plans, have 2 options...
Retire now, with a lot less money and an extra 10 years to suppot yourself with this money...
or hold onto to the retirement plan so it can grow interest(will not be as much as 10 yrs working with the company) and find a new job, most likely making less per year.
Regardless, the baby boomers will not have the money producers foresee if the producers keep firing their "almost retirement age" employees.
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Not such a new trend...
What I find more unsettling, though, is the trend to dump your pension fund on the government and let the Feds take care of it. Now the people who had a substantial pension package and had planned accordingly are finding that they're NOT going to be able to live the lifestyle they had planned on, if in fact they can even afford to retire when they had thought to.
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Re: boomers
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Re: Re: boomers
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Re: Anonymous Cowart
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Baby boomers
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Products for Baby Boomers and Handicapped
What would be wrong with having a line of products designed for men with large hands, whose fingers are just too large to push only one of those little flat buttons you can't tell apart on the current cell phones?
What would be wrong with having a line of products designed for people who are actively working, raising children, and doing volunteer work, but have difficulty reading the current cell phone screens?
Women have massive buying power - if you don't believe it, just look at the number of mini-vans on the roads. I'm a 30-something working mother with nearsightedness, I NEED A PHONE WITH BIGGER BUTTONS, A CLEARER DISPLAY, AND A HEADSET THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO STICK IN MY EAR.
And as far as finances go... the babyboomers OVERALL, are the wealthiest generation ever. Population boomed and when they reached working ages, the economy boomed as well.
It's a shame that so many of their grandchildren and greatgrandchildren didn't learn respect, compassion, tolerance, thrift, and a decent work ethic. (as evidenced by the posts preceding this one)
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Baby boomer cell phone
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And let us talk about compensation. When your generation got out of school, a college education practically guaranteed a good job. Now, many in my generation (Y) are having trouble finding any work out of college, especially work that pays us enough TO LIVE ON OUR OWN. I'm not talking about buying expensive clothes, techno gadgets, and all other such nonsense. I'm talking about making rent each month and still being able to afford food that doesn't come in a styrofoam cup. You have borrowed, leveraged, speculated, horded, and outsourced our futures.
Of course, my generation is lazy you say. We don't want to pay our dues, you say. Guess what, its because we have been paying them since we were born!. In high school we had to have AP courses, honors courses, activities, community service, hours of homework and jobs just get into a decent college. Then, in that college, we had to get 3.5+ averages and have internships and activities while working jobs and taking on massive debt to pay the ever increasing cost of an education. And at college, what did you do? Dodge a draft, smoke pot, have sex and trash the place, not because you were fighting for a moral cause, but because your butts were on the line.
Now, to many boomers, I apologize. I know many of you did work hard for your kids, and hopefully they are thankful for it. I know my parents (late boomers/early Xers) did sacrifice for me. I know many of you did fight for causes you believed in, and stopped either because you thought you had won or had to attend to your own needs. Thank you for your contributions. Unfortunately, many in the generations coming up are struggling. We were told that if we worked hard and sacrificed in school, that we would be able to get jobs that would allow us to be independent. For many of us, this is a lie, and we are bitter. Do we feel entitled? Somewhat, but only to what we have already worked for, a job that allows us to not have to worry about making next month's bills.
We aren't looking forward to the future. We know that social security won't be there for us. As it stands, our government can't even afford to maintain the roads anymore. We see the cost of everything rising dramatically. All of these things we can deal with, but we become angry when members of your generation mock us and call us lazy and taunt us with the fact that you will be the last generation to get social security, we can't help but lash out. Many of the current problems were caused by our greedy, incompetent corporate and civil leaders who are themselves boomers. All we can see are less jobs, less pay, less time, and a worsening environment. Many of us have spoken up about these things and have been dismissed.
In short: Please, just lay off of us.
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