Older Women: Isn't it time the beauty industry woke up to this golden opportunity?
There’s a problem with the beauty industry.
I’ve suspected it for some time but it wasn’t until recently that my suspicions were confirmed.
By focusing on youth, our industry is overlooking a key demographic…OLDER WOMEN.
But that’s only part of the story.
Not only do women over the age of 50 feel ignored, they also feel that much of the advertising and marketing messages that are directed towards them are crass and demeaning.
The result is many beauty companies are excluding themselves from the massive spending power that these women possess – around £2 billion per year!
Did you know that women over 45 account for 44.1% of the female population {source: ONS}. That’s 13.8 million consumers who I believe aren’t being properly catered for by the beauty industry.
I needed to find out if this was true, or just hearsay. So I conducted in-depth interviews with women aged 54-90 to discover the following:
What skincare, make-up, haircare and other toiletries they use
What issues they have with packaging as they get older
Where they shop for beauty
What they think beauty retailers should do to cater to older women’s needs
Their views on advertising
Their views on product claims
I was amazed at what they were telling me:
How ignored they feel, both by brands and when out shopping
How elderly they feel, when forced to fumble for their glasses
They don’t care about, and don’t believe in, anti-ageing products
YET:Many love using beauty products, but lack the confidence to try anything new
What’s most interesting is that beauty brands believe they are targeting the over 50s but fall short when it comes to product information, advertising and serving the customer in-store.
Our new report Older Women - The Forgotten Demographic gets right to the heart of the problem by showing:
How beauty brands, retailers and the media should engage with older women
What older women want from their beauty products
Why anti-ageing advertising is a real turn-off for older women
Where the future of skincare lies {it’s not in anti-ageing}
Brands need to understand what this affluent market really thinks about them and why they need to be more honest, transparent and properly engage with them.
Through in-depth interviews with 11 women aged between 54 and 90*, this report provides insights into their beauty routines and shopping habits, and their views on advertising and product claims.
The findings form the basis of recommendations to beauty brands, retailers and media professionals on how to seize the growing opportunity to target not just the over 50s, but women in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s.
Click here to find out more about our Premium Market Report research exclusive.