Despite living in what is often described as the ‘digital age’, 6.7 million adults in the UK have never used the internet.
According to the Internet Access Quarterly Update from the Office for National Statistics, 13% of the population have never been online, which means that companies who have built their business plans around the web could be missing out on a key demographic.
Businesses that are targeting a younger audience know their message will be heard as 99% of 16 to 24 year olds had used the internet, according the report.
However, only 36% of adults over the age of 75 have been online. This may cause some to rethink their channels of information delivery.
Reader’s Digest announced this week that it was looking to grow its audience to target the 22 million over-50s in the UK. However, this growth plan is going hand in hand with a new digital delivery model, which may corner them off from the over-75 niche.
When developing a digital strategy it is easy to assume that the internet is accessible by everyone, but it is worth bearing whether your target market will actually be contactable.
