Shopping online has become part of the daily routine for an increasing number of people. It also includes those who a few years ago were less familiar with technology. In fact, 80% of people over 55 in Spain already use the Internet, which amounts to around 13.3 million people, according to the 6th Senior Consumer Barometer by Fundación MAPFRE.
However, as the digital consumer profile expands, many websites and apps are still designed for users who are highly tech-savvy, leaving out of the digital economy the demographic group that is growing the most and with the greatest purchasing power.
This disconnect between design and the end consumer is limiting companies’ sales. As Salima Sánchez, instructor of the Neuromarketing Course at Deusto Formación, explains, there is an evident mismatch in the sector: «Often, in trying to connect with a younger, more tech-savvy profile, we end up excluding those who truly need the service. Websites become a barrier, people abandon the process, and the expected sales do not materialize.»
The exclusive design: the silent barrier of digital commerce
In the world of design and user experience (UX/UI), there is a tendency to equate innovation with flashiness or sophistication. The problem arises when that drive for differentiation makes it harder to do something as basic as finding a product, understanding information, or completing a purchase.
“It is very common to identify innovation with a young audience, and that leads to prioritizing flashy or sophisticated designs over ease of use,” says Salima Sánchez. “When we design thinking of a profile very familiar with technology, we tend to assume that all users have the same level of digital knowledge. That makes interfaces incorporate processes that are obvious to some, but unnecessarily complex for others. In those cases, the web stops helping the user and becomes a barrier, triggering abandonments before completing the purchase.”
The key to designing with people in mind, not their age
The solution to this loss of potential customers is not to create special websites for older people, but to apply disciplines such as neuromarketing, consumer psychology, and behavioral economics. According to the expert from Deusto Formación, knowledge of these areas helps understand how people interact with digital environments to reduce cognitive load (the mental processing difficulty).
“Rather than introducing age-specific changes, what matters is to respect from the outset the psychological and usability principles that facilitate information processing,” considers the instructor, who proposes: “Clear interfaces, consistent navigation, and a strong visual hierarchy benefit anyone. It isn’t about designing differently for each age, but about creating experiences that allow each user to reach their goal with the least possible effort.”
In this sense, making a website more accessible for an older person does not mean making it worse or less attractive than for a younger person. On the contrary, when an experience is easy to understand, everyone wins.
Adapt the experience to the user’s real needs
For brands, revisiting these small frictions can make a big difference. Some practices that can significantly hinder navigation include hiding important functions behind hard-to-recognize icons, using typography that is too small, overusing auto-playing carousels, or adding unnecessary steps to processes such as registration or checkout.
On the contrary, the key to success lies in returning to simplicity: “A good practice is to offer clear menus, readable texts, buttons with descriptive labels, simple forms, and messages that explain what will happen at each step,” values Salima Sánchez. “The better an experience adapts to real user needs, the fewer the frictions and the higher the odds of a sale, whether it’s a purchase, a sign-up, or a request for information,” she adds.
Therefore, at a time when more and more people shop, compare, and seek information online, making a website easy to understand is not just a matter of design or accessibility, it is a business issue.
