American households headed by people age 65 and older spent 55% more on vitamins and 45% more on medications and remedies than average American households during the 52 weeks ending June 28, 2008, according to Nielsen.
Households headed by Americans age 65 and older account for 14.4% of all U.S. households. These households represented 22.3% of vitamins product dollar sales and 20.8% of medications and remedies product dollar sales.
Other categories skewing to households with older people include pain remedies, canned fruit, and coffee, as well as canning/freezing supplies and floral/gardening supplies.
| Rank (by highest index) |
Top 10 Categories: Households Headed By Older People (65+) |
Dollar Volume Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitamins | 155 |
| 2 | Medications/Remedies | 145 |
| 3 | Canned Fruit | 142 |
| 4 | Pain Remedies | 133 |
| 5 | Flour | 131 |
| 6 | Canning, Freezing Supplies | 128 |
| 7 | Coffee | 124 |
| 8 | Butter and Margarine | 121 |
| 9 | Floral, Gardening | 121 |
| 10 | Nuts | 121 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company (June 30, 2007 – June 28, 2008). | ||
| *Note: “Dollar Volume Index” is a demographic segment’s share of dollar sales, divided by a segment’s share of U.S. households, multiplied by 100. | ||
Nielsen’s Marketing Tip:
Retailers targeting households headed by older Americans may want to promote these categories (above) with feature ads, displays, and product assortments. Manufacturers should consider cross-promoting and cross-couponing items in these categories.
Nielsen’s Dollar Volume Index identifies demographic groups that account for above or below average dollar volume purchases for a given product category.
Data for the index was collected via Nielsen’s Homescan consumer panel, a nationally representative sample of U.S. households that provides a stratified, proportionate, non-biased representation of the U.S. population. Homescan panelists scan all of their UPC coded purchases after every shopping trip, allowing Nielsen to capture their complete shopping and buying behavior.
