Gray market

IT'S NOT JUST in Japan where they eat sushi and seaweeds that the number of people in their eighties have gone up. (Japan's average life expectancy is still the highest at 85 years old.) Life expectancy here in our country is a lot lower but has increased from 71.41 in 2021 to 71.79 in 2024.

- By Tony Samson

Aren't there more old people, with walking sticks or in wheelchairs accompanied by caregivers with flawless skin, getting more noticeable in our malls? Under this senior category is a smaller niche.

There is the segment of the elderly cohort that has high disposable income. Old people with money (OPM) may not qualify for a separate party-list category. (Anyway, isn't there already a general listing for senior citizens?) Maybe old people with money are not a marginalized sector. But the party-list system has gone beyond that stifling definition. (But that's another subject.)

Marketers should pay attention to this "gray market." (Dyed hair does not disqualify inclusion here.) "Old" here refers to those over 60 years old who get discounts as senior citizens for coffee and eyeglasses. And money in this case covers discretionary income, beyond meals, electric bills, and vitamins.

There are some challenges for marketers targeting the OPMs.