Older Consumers Are The Most Likely To Recommend

In a previous post, we examined the companies that consumers were most and least likely to recommend. Now let’s look at how likely consumers of different ages are to recommend companies to their friends and family. Our analysis covers 12 industries.

Here are a few observations about the data:

• In just about every industry, 55 to 74 year-olds are the most likely to recommend companies to friends and relatives. The notable exceptions: 65- to 74-year olds aren’t as prepared to chat-up hotels and 55- to 64-year-old aren’t shouting about Internet Service Providers.
• 25- to 34-year olds were one of the two least likely age groups to recommend companies in every industry.
• Six industries have double-digit age gaps: Insurance firms (17%), Internet service providers (17%), Airlines (13%), Health Plans (13%), Hotels (12%), and Wireless Carriers (11%).

The bottom line: Don’t underestimate word of mouth with 50 and 60 year-olds.