Move over youngsters, elderly Chinese are now shopping online

Elderly Chinese consumers said they like shopping at online marketplaces such as taobao.com and dangdang.com, breaking the conventional thinking that online shopping is mostly younger consumers' habits, a study said.

The research jointly conducted by supply chain and retail solutions provider JDA Software and cloud computing logistic solutions provider Centiro which polled 1,500 consumers in China aged between 18 and 64 said that about 80 percent of the respondents aged above 55 said they like to shop online. Almost all consumers in this age segment said they have purchased online in the past year, with 63 percent said they have shopped online more than 10 times in 2015.

The result is surprising at first glance, but considering the fast development of mobile devices and how popular the gadgets have become among all segments in China, it is understandable how Chinese consumers across all age groups are embracing online shopping, said Patrick Viney, Vice-President, Retail Industry Strategy APAC.

Overall, 88 percent of polled consumers said they believe in the next five years online platforms will become their major shopping channel.

For online retailers, increasing cost of management for supply chains, delivery and other details in fulfilling the orders may dent profitability, and as consumers' tolerance to late delivery, delivering the wrong items or unsmooth returns are shrinking, retailers may need to allocate more resources on these aspects, the research said.

wuyiyao@chinadaily.com.cn