Over 65s can inspire design for everyone: Packaging industry needs to evolve as we enter the 'age of the aged'

Brands that fail to take into account the UK’s ageing population when designing and innovating products are missing out on huge opportunities, says Sun Branding Solutions.

By concentrating on millennials they are ignoring 11.6 million people - 20% of the population - who hold 80% of the nation’s wealth.

Sun Branding Solutions argues in a new whitepaper “Age Repackaged – How brands can benefit from (and learn from) an ageing population” that the packaging industry needs to evolve to meet the challenges of a changing demographic as we officially enter the ‘age of the aged’.

These ‘boomers’ outweigh their younger generations by 3 to 1, and their numbers are due to increase by more than 40% in the next 17 years; as this population grows so does the market potential.

The whitepaper offers an insight into how brands and retailers can learn from, and tap into, this powerful and growing market.

It outlines key trends and looks at who’s doing well and where improvements could be made. From product development to pack structure and design, the whitepaper pulls together insights from key industry experts to show how designing for an ageing population can offer a better experience for all.

Three principles stand out:

• Design should be for life, not age 
• While needs may change, attitudes don’t
• Design should be inclusive, not exclusive

   

Research from The Age of No Retirement (TAONR), who contributed to the report, found that people of all ages are more alike than different, and ‘age labels are in danger of holding business back’.

A study among 65-74 year olds showed:

• 83% of all those surveyed felt like they are not like everyone else in their age bracket.
• 89% of young people and 84% of the oldest rely on the internet. Yet both groups say they are overwhelmed by new technology.
• 88% said that brands should focus on needs and interests rather than age.
• 83% want age-neutral and inclusive brands that are modern and relevant.

Guy Douglass, Creative Strategy Director for brand and packaging design agency Parker Williams, part of the Sun Branding Solutions group, stresses how designing with older people in mind can make everyone’s lives better. Mira Showers wondered how to produce a shower that was easy for older people to use as taps can be difficult to turn on and off when you have arthritis. What they came up with is a shower that was easier for everyone to use. “It was a light bulb moment for the product designers,” he says.

Designers developing the new Ford Focus back in 2000 wore age suits to understand what it was like to drive and get in and out of a car as an older person. As a result the car featured a higher driving position for better visibility, switches that were easy to reach, a spacious interior and boot and was easy to enter.

In Japan “Grand Generation Malls” cater specially for the over-65s with wider aisles, more seating and easier parking with the result that customers are spending 50% more time in the store and 40% more money.

As we get older food tastes change and become more sophisticated, something Wiltshire Farm Foods who provide single portion meals for its mainly over 65 customers reacted to by creating a menu inspired by “trends, travel and the light and flavours of the Mediterranean". Waitrose has launched salad bags that have half and half feature where the bag is sealed down the middle aimed at single people of all ages. Design looked at a problem and came up with a solution.

Amazon frustration-free packaging was launched in the UK in 2008 with the promise it was ‘easier to open, with an unwrapping time of 42 seconds compared with 11 minutes for the usual pack. Unfortunately this is still the exception not the norm. Nespresso was another who more recently broke the mould with a carton that opens like a flower making it easy to get the heavy coffee machine out of the box. Small change like this can make a huge difference to the user experience and how a brand is perceived.

Sonia Whiteley-Guest, group commercial director of Sun Branding Solutions said: “Older people don’t necessarily feel old. They definitely don’t want brands to make them feel old. And they don’t want to be talked down to. Getting it right will directly impact a business’ bottom line.”

Guy Douglass from Parker Williams added: “Inclusive design is so much more appropriate than exclusive design.”

For copy of the full report http://ageingpopulationwhitepaper.pagedemo.co/