ow many customers are you tabs. A growing number of baby
losing every day in your boomers and senior citizens are
ecommerce website? I using the web and the use of a
suppose every business owner site that is difficult to
expects some customer loss, but navigate makes the site
did you know you could be losing essentially ‘off limits’ to these
more customers than you may have potential customers who often
realized? leave in frustration.
Tim Berners-Lee is credited with Consider these financial facts
creating the Worldwide Web and he from the U.S. Consumer
always envisioned an online Expenditure Survey.
experience that would be useable
to all online visitors. This * The 50 and older have $2.4
vision included individuals with trillion in annual income, which
a variety of handicaps. accounts for 42% of all after-tax
income.
While there are web applications
that allow vision and hearing * Adults 50 and older account for
impaired visitors to use an estimated $1 trillion+ in
websites, many site designers do total expenditures in 2005.
very little to help these
individuals navigate their * Consumers 50 and older own 65%
website. of the net worth of all U.S.
households.
Interestingly one of the key
factors that minimize effective The demographic for those over
use of an ecommerce website the age of fifty find a consumer
design is an over produced base with the most disposable
website with multi navigational income, increased buying power
and this demographic often you provide to be instructional
provides an increased level of on the use of the site. However,
brand loyalty. you may be better served by using
straightforward text and graphics
Interestingly television networks and by simplifying the steps your
have essentially turned their customers must use to make a
back on this demographic by purchase.
providing program geared to
viewers 35 and younger. "In most [web design] projects,
accessibility has fairly low
It is possible that web design priority because project managers
could benefit by remembering a underestimate the number of
demographic who may have an people who are impacted by design
interest in purchasing products problems." Jakob Neilson
or services from your website as
long as you make sure to provide If you can make your web design
a means of accessing the website appealing and easily accessible
in a way that is attractive yet you will find all your customers
easily accessible. being able to maximize the
pleasure of the visit and may
Many websites rely on flash likely develop into repeat
design. In a scenario in which customers.
you are seeking the age 50+
consumers you may want any flash
About the Author:
Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects. Get your own website online in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites at: http://www.highpowersites.com. Start your own ebook business with BooksWealth at: http://www.bookswealth.com
Read more articles by:
Scott Lindsay
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