Geodemographics and the segmentation of the 50+

Yesterday I was speaking at a conference about direct marketing to the 'Grey Market'. By the end of the day I think we had all agreed that once and for all we must abandon using the word Grey as a descriptor for the 50+.

There was a fascinating presentation by Professor Richard Webber, the originator of geodemographics and the builder of ACORN and MOSAIC neighbourhood classification systems. See the graphic below for a list of the MOSAIC categories that refer to older people.

Richard’s session was all about the patterns and trends of where different types of older people live, either by choice or because of their financial circumstances.

Using the standard MOSAIC classifications he plotted the grouping’s geographic distribution.

The presentation contained a lot of detail but these were the main conclusions:

There is a polarisation between the post retirement behaviour of private owners and renters of property

The widespread availability of cars and the better health of older people enables the countryside to be a viable option for retirement.

There is a link between retirement and holiday locations. The popularity for overseas holidays means the more people are retiring overseas and not in the traditional UK seaside destinations.

There is an increase in the attraction of heritage and small, authentic and local suppliers, which means that country towns are becoming popular locations for retired people.

There is a polarisation between older people who want to integrate with other age groups and those who want communities of their own age.

This form of analysis provides some very powerful marketing tools.

Geodemographics