Baby Boomers, the Elderly and Medical Mobile Apps

by Holly Shoemaker

As baby boomers age, they not only look toward medical mobile apps to help monitor their medical conditions, but apps have another use for this demographic – to assist with the care of their elderly parents.

I agree with the viewpoint that developers will not profit from directly targeting the elderly. That segment of the population, from my experience, has little interest in the Internet let alone mobile apps. However, baby boomers are tasked with decisions related to caring for their aging parents and many directly look after them.

In terms of reaching the elderly, a larger challenge lies in communication. Doctors, healthcare professionals and those tasked with caring for elderly patients would need to take the time to explain how the use of mobile technology improves the lives of all involved.

Concluding Thoughts

Despite some challenges, a market opportunity exists. Developers have the ability to further target baby boomers by focusing on a product or app that makes life easier for all involved. It just requires a shift in marketing to target the baby boomers and other caregivers tasked with looking after the elderly. Any added convenience will help reduce stress on both the patients and those that care for them.

Target Baby Boomers to Increase Medical Mobile App Sales

by Holly Shoemaker

For developers looking for a targeted market for medical mobile apps, baby boomers comprise a growing number of customers.

Mitchell PR, a firm that specializes in marketing apps to baby boomers, surveyed 600 baby boomers regarding app use. Those surveyed, reported the following:

• Sixty percent of respondents said they would download an app recommended by a physician. In general, physicians yield more influence over apps than other groups. Eighteen percent of respondents said they would download an app recommended by a family member, while five percent would download one recommend by a friend.

 Paying for Downloads

• Seventy-one percent of respondents had already paid for an app. In terms of actual dollar amounts, 36 percent of respondents said they would spend $1 to $2 for an app, while 35 percent said they would spend up to $10 for one.

When it came to the number of downloads, the firm reported the following results:

• Forty-nine percent of respondents said they had already downloaded six or more apps.
• Twenty-eight percent downloaded between one and five apps.

The survey also found that baby boomers were drawn to apps that have a larger size font and were easy to navigate.

Concluding Thoughts

The results seem promising for developers, given the longer development lifecycle and higher cost associated with health applications, especially those used as medical devices. As baby boomers typically have more doctor visits and more scheduled maintenance and medical procedures, developers should continue to survey their needs to better target one of the largest segments of the population.