Many young people have embraced the convenience of digital technologies such as online shopping, car hailing, digital payments, and telemedicine. But many elderly without a grasp of the latest knowledge are at risk of being left behind.
Several news reports in China during the outbreak of COVID-19 put this issue in the spotlight: an elderly woman who wanted to pay for her medical insurance with cash was refused due to concerns that her cash might be carrying the virus.
The woman, who had not set up mobile payment, was left alone in the service centre at a loss.
In another case, an elderly man without a phone was asked to get off the bus after failing to show the driver his health-status code via the app used at all public places in China.
These incidents are stark reminders of the widening digital gap for the elderly.
Pandemic pushes the elderly out of offline comfort zone.
According to statistics from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), out of the 274 million mobile phone accounts of elderly users (those 60 years old and above) in China today, about 134 million are using smart phones to browse the internet. This means approximately 140 million still lack access to it.
The pandemic, however, has pushed a great number of elderly people online, in China and globally. The Chinese government issued plans in November last year to help elderly people overcome barriers to using smart technology.
Meanwhile tech companies, such as e-commerce company JD.com, are stepping up their efforts to ease the transition. Here are three major trends in this arena:
1. Taking online in-store
Brick-and-mortar stores have started to arrange assistants in dedicated zones to help elderly customers make sense of everything from digital payments to robot services. These are all services that many young people, who grew up with the internet from an early age, take for granted – but they can also be learned.
2. From louder smartphones to voice-activated home appliances
Tailormade smartphones play an important role in easing elderly people’s transition into the digital space. Phones with big buttons, larger font size and high-volume speakers have popped up recently.
Besides customized smartphones, JD and other companies are exploring a variety of ways to adopt advanced technologies to improve elderly people’s lives.
These include voice-activated IoT home appliances for users with limited mobility; an AI-powered speech recognition system that can communicate in a variety of dialects; and a big-data based health management system that can provide more accurate health advice.
3. Enabling the elderly a good investment for brands
Training goes a long way to abating the fear surrounding new technology. Last year, JD organised classes for the elderly on how to use digital devices, starting with basics like downloading apps, and increasing in complexity to cover how to line up for a hospital appointment virtually, scan QR codes and use mobile payments.
This has economic benefits too. With more and more elderly finding their footing in the digital world, they are adding fuel to the already booming silver economy.
During 2020, JD saw more elderly consumers start shopping online due to COVID-19; and they’ve kept up the habit since, appreciating the added convenience and plethora of choices. This has led the company to use big data to work on more products designed specifically for elderly consumers.
Analysis:
This article is an especially interesting read as it discusses the many innovative ways technology is being used to make life easier for older adults. For instance, it speaks of speed dial services that direct users above 65 directly to human service personnel, simpler interfaces, more anti-fraud support, customized smartphones, AI-powered speech recognition, and much more. In addition to providing examples, it pushes for companies to do a better job of teaching users, especially older users how to utilize their digital services because giving older adults more confidence in technology will only grow business. I think what is really important to takeaway here is that there are multiple ways businesses can better include older people in their services. It could be by doing a better job of informing older adults about how to use their digital services, but it could also be by using modern day technology to customize experience to older people who did not grow up with computers and phones at the forefront of their lives. It really makes me question how banks could do a better job of helping older people transition to mobile banking, and how they can make mobile banking more personalized and accessible to the older customers.
Citation:
How to close the Digital Gap for the elderly. World Economic Forum. (n.d.). https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/too-old-is-simply-a-myth-tech-companies-narrow-the-digital-gap-for-the-elderly/
