Mobile firms target middle-aged clients

With the wide dissemination of smartphones, the age group of users is quickly diversifying to include the middle-aged.

According to research by SK Planet, SK Telecom’s mobile platform subsidiary, the monthly data use of subscribers in their 50s has increased from 24 megabytes in January of 2011 to 112 megabytes as of the end of last year.

Telecommunication companies such as SK Planet are increasingly focusing on middle-aged people who are becoming more used to smartphones and finding applications and content available helpful in their lives.

“Middle-aged subscribers for smart devices are increasing as well as their use of applications such as navigation tools and others. They are even playing games,” said an SK Planet official. “We are always considering ways to improve our user interface for a better experience by our rising middle-aged consumer base.”

The firm also conducted a survey for March and April among a thousand people born between 1955 and 1963, Korea’s baby boomers, on what apps were most widely used.

Casual Acupressure, an app that instructs on diverse acupressure therapy that can be done anywhere at any time, was No. 1 with 62,471 downloads. Trapple GPS, an outdoor app that records fitness and sports activities was runner-up with 11,002 downloads.

The popularity of the two products reflects the concerns and lifestyles of those in their 50s who are nearly or already retired. As they find more free time, the use of mobile devices increases becoming a must-have as a hobby or to supplement other leisure activities.

“As middle-aged people are becoming more familiar with smart devices, besides applications, there is an increase in downloading music. To accommodate this increasing demand, we are better categorizing music available in our free stores depending on age,” said the SK Planet official.

Demands for availability of music from the 1970s and 80s, along with classic games such as Pac-man by middle-aged consumers are increasing. Social service applications that are widely used by the younger generation such as Kakao Talk, Twitter and Facebook, are also finding favor with middle-aged people.

“I recently changed to a smartphone and I have to say I am very much enjoying it,” said Kwak Young-im, a housewife in her 50s living in Seoul. “I especially use Kakao Talk, and it allows me to send videos and pictures to my friends which I couldn’t do with my 2G phone.”

Kwak says that her smartphone is the first thing she looks for when she wakes up, and described it as a “new friend” that generally makes her daily routine more enjoyable with many eye-catching features.

Though satisfied overall with the smartphone experience, the housewife did find the manuals and consumers service provided for her age group to have much room for improvement. She found the touch-pad and user interface to be difficult to follow at times, with manuals and instructions insufficient to accommodate her needs.

“When I subscribed I automatically told them (the telecommunications company) my age as I submitted my social security number. Considering that, I think they can take extra care of me and my age group,” she said. “I think they can make manuals with bigger letters or a brand new user interface that is specifically designed and installable by my age group.”

KT, Korea’s second largest wireless mobile service provider, is also showing interest in promoting services for middle-aged consumers. The firm announced earlier this month that it will give free manuals with leather jackets to those in their 50s who newly subscribe to KT.

“KT is considering every possible way to offer better services for middle-aged subscribers as their numbers are showing a sharp rise recently,” said a KT official. <Korea Times/Cho Mu-hyun>

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