Noteworthy Numbers: What we share

When studying our customer bases, we often examine what makes Baby Boomer, Gen X and Millennial shoppers different from one another. Often it’s also assumed that the youngest shoppers spend the most time online. But it turns out their online content preferences are more similar than previously assumed, according to a recent study of more than 1,200 people across the three generations by BuzzStream and Fractl.

Here are some of their key findings:

Learn more about this research at info.buzzstream.com/content-generation-research

Source: http://bit.ly/1NYMl7c BuzzStream and Fractl surveyed more than 1,200 people across three generations: Millennials (born 1977–1995), Generation Xers (born 1965–1977) and Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964). The survey included questions about 15 types of online content, as well as their ideal content length and how much time they spend engaging with content. Fractl is a “creative digital agency specializing in high-quality content creation and placement,” and BuzzStream is a “web-based software that helps the world’s best marketers promote their products, services and content to build links, buzz, and brands.”

Baby Boomers spend the most time online

Surprised? Twenty-five percent of people age 51 years old and up said they spend more than 20 hours online per week, the largest of the three groups studied. They also dominated the 15 to 20 hour segment: 17% said they spent this much time online, compared with Gen Xers at 12% and Millennials at 11%.
 

Blogs and Facebook are the best

Blog posts are the most consumed online content among the three generations. Coming in at second, third and fourth for all are images, comments and audiobooks.

Among social media channels, about 60% of respondents across all generations use Facebook. YouTube came in second, followed by Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn for Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials. In the study, a relatively small amount of Millennials used Instagram, about 4%.
 

Short and sweet

Millennials are often chastised for their short attention spans, but it turns out all generations surveyed preferred content that was 300 words or less. Results varied from 20% to 25%. So if you’re writing gardening blogs for customers on your website, keep it brief.
 

Go mobile

Laptops and desktops remain the most common devices on which to consume content, but mobile is quickly catching up, especially among Millennials. More than a quarter of the youngest group studied reported that they used their mobile devices most. It’s essential that garden centers make their websites mobile friendly to reach them. Baby Boomers, at more than 10%, used tablets more than the other generations studied.