🎧 "AgeTech" courts digital seniors

Plus: Fancy dog sweaters | Monday, February 07, 2022

Open in app View in browser     Axios What's Next By Jennifer A. Kingson, Joann Muller and Erica Pandey ·Feb 07, 2022 We had no shortage of reactions from readers to Jennifer's story last week about how 36% of U.S. bridges need major repair work — see item 4, below. Got thoughts on today's issue? Email us at whatsnext@axios.com. Today's Smart Brevity count: 1,077 words ... 4 minutes.     1 big thing: "AgeTech" companies court digital seniors Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios   As the pandemic has coaxed older people to get more nimble with technology— even trolling TikTok to check out their grandkids' posts — tech companies are increasingly catering to their needs, Jennifer A. Kingson writes. Why it matters: For seniors, learning to shop online, enjoy social media and use VR headsets can beat back isolation and loneliness — particularly during COVID-19. And to marketers, wealthy retirees look like an attractive sales niche, so they're tailoring products and services accordingly. Driving the news: A new report from Euromonitor lists "empowered elders" as a top-10 global consumer trend for 2022. "Businesses have an opportunity to tailor their digital experience to target and meet the needs of this expanded online audience," the firm notes. Among people 60 and older, 60% visit social media sites at least once a week, and 21% play video games, Euromonitor found. 82% own a smartphone. "Alongside browsing and shopping online, Digital Seniors embrace virtual solutions for socializing, health screenings, finances and learning," according to the report. A survey by Ericsson's ConsumerLab found that 7 in 10 seniors ages 65-74 were interested in trying out AR/VR headsets, primarily to pursue a skill or hobby, like cooking. Nursing home residents are using VR headsets for virtual travel experiences. Between the lines: AARP runs an accelerator program, the AgeTech Collaborative, to fund startups that develop products for people 50 and older. Companies in the Collaborative's portfolio include Litesprite, which makes a "clinically-validated mental health video game," and Hank, which brings "the benefits of living in a retirement home into an aging loved one's home." The other side: Companies that sell old-fashioned medic alert buttons — of the "I've fallen and I can't get up" variety — have used the pandemic as an opportunity to vastly expand their services. Customers started activating the button more frequently after the pandemic started — not because of an emergency, but because they wanted someone to talk to or needed help reaching a doctor, handyman or plumber. As a result, companies like LifeStation are offering concierge-style menus to seniors who've been cut off from normal activities. These "extras" can include arranging a ride to the doctor or contacting a client's niece to arrange a catch-up phone chat —  all activated by pressing the alert button and talking to someone in the call center. "We're designed to call emergency services, but we'll call anybody you want us to," said Matt Solomon, general manager of LifeStation. The bottom line: Technology aimed at seniors was getting more sophisticated before COVID, but the pandemic has given it a big push forward. Read the full story.     2. Teachers pivot careers Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios   Teachers are leaving the education workforce at a rapid clip, according to new LinkedIn data. Staggering stat: Rates of attrition among educators is 66% above pre-pandemic levels, Erica Pandey writes. What's happening: As we've reported, many teachers are retiring or quitting the profession due to pandemic-era stress, and universities aren't minting new ones fast enough. Many of those who quit are enrolling in courses and training regimens as a way to switch careers. The careers that teachers are migrating toward include software engineer, administrative assistant, real estate agent, behavioral health technician and salesperson, according to LinkedIn's research. What to watch: The dire shortage of teachers is already pushing school districts to take steps like asking parents to volunteer to fill classroom gaps. The squeeze will continue if state and local governments don't figure out how to address burnout among working teachers and attract new talent to the profession with perks like free tuition and benefits.     3. Electric vehicles will shake up gas stations Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios   Expect a shake-up in convenience store operations when electric vehicles go mainstream, Linh Ta writes in Axios Des Moines. Why it matters: EVs could disrupt the historically resilient convenience store industry, said Frank Beard, a retail speaker and host of the "In-Convenience Podcast." Industry leaders will have to diversify and rely less on fuel sales and more on tasty food and snacks, Beard said. State of play: Gas stations have remained mostly protected from the "retail-pocalypse," Beard said. But EVs' steady growth threatens an industry that's long relied on Americans' need for nearby fuel and "smokes and cokes" conveniently 50 feet away. By the numbers: The electric vehicles' U.S. market share is estimated to grow from about 6% of new sales this year to 16% in 2024. But it's unknown how much demand will exist for public charging stations, especially at urban c-stores, when EVs become mainstream, Beard said. While they currently command 80% of U.S. fuel sales, they'll be competing with home charging, malls and even the roads themselves. Zoom in: About 10% of Kum & Go stores will have a charging station by the end of the year, said VP of fuels Ken Kleemeier, though they're not profitable yet. Share this story.     A message from Axios A better way to communicate with stakeholders     Axios HQ is an easy-to-use tool helping 200+ organizations — big and small — communicate with more clarity and efficiency. It's powered by Smart Brevity®, Axios' distinct writing methodology, and perfected by machine learning to help any communicator learn the craft. See how it works     4. What you're saying about ... crumbling bridges Data: The American Road & Transportation Builders Association; Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios Our story on Friday about how historic sums are about to be spent on bridge repair — more than $26.5 billion over five years — under Biden's infrastructure law drew some strong reactions from readers: Jon Husted wrote that the article "makes the infrastructure bill seem even more out of touch since such a small portion of the funding was dedicated toward bridges."  Peter Desmond told us: "I suspect that labor will be the big issue with bridge repair/replacement. We lost a generation of skilled tradespeople in the 2008 recession. The pipeline has never recovered fully." "Flooding the economy with infrastructure money will most likely result in inflation rather than capital improvement," he continued. "From a policy perspective, we need a sustained infrastructure investment plan over several decades in order to dig ourselves out of the investment deficit that has occurred over the past several decades." "Another opportunity is for the government to invest in early-stage technology that will extend infrastructure life and reduce maintenance. Think carbon fiber reinforcement rather than rusting steel."     5. What well-dressed Upper East Side dogs are wearing From left: Josie the Cavapoo, Penny the French bulldog and Winnie the poodle. Photos: Valerie Kingson Bloom   It's winter in Manhattan, and that means the fancy dog sweaters are out in force. These dogs — clients of Jennifer's daughter, an Upper East Side dog walker — are among the proud swath of New Yorkers with enviable wardrobes. Poodle blends ("poos") and French bulldogs are all the rage in the nabe. Dogs from elsewhere in the tristate area can certainly hold their own. Below, Erica's whippet, Photon, prepares for a stroll in Hoboken, New Jersey. Photon the whippet. Photo: Erica Pandey Go figure: While many Upper East Side restaurants and retail stores have closed permanently due to COVID-19, the preponderance of pet clothing boutiques and doggie day care centers seems to have bounced back.     A message from Axios A better way to communicate with stakeholders     Axios HQ is an easy-to-use tool helping 200+ organizations — big and small — communicate with more clarity and efficiency. It's powered by Smart Brevity®, Axios' distinct writing methodology, and perfected by machine learning to help any communicator learn the craft. 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