Study examines older adults’ trust in online pharmacies

The COVID-19 pandemic left few facets of life untouched tragically in so many cases. It also had a major impact on economics and shopping habits in particular. While e-commerce emerged at a time when the children of the Baby Boomer generation, Gen X, were first logging on—before the Millennials ever had a bank card and before Gen Z was even born, perhaps even before silver surfers were to be minted—it became the domain of the younger tech-savvy users.

As the pandemic hit, Gen X and the Baby Boomers, many of whom had opted out after the dot-com bubble burst, found themselves opting back in out of necessity, especially as online pharmaceutical platforms became de rigueur for dealing with the aches and ailments of aging internet players.

A study in the International Journal of Business Information Systems has looked closely at specific elements that inspire trust among older consumers, especially when purchasing medicines online. After all, this is an area of e-commerce fraught with safety concerns. Trust in this sector is more than just a buzzword. It does not matter so much if the latest gadget or fashion accessory does not live up to expectations, but when your life-saving pills and potions fall short, well, it could be game over.

It must be emphasized that for consumers who spent decades relying on face-to-face interactions at local pharmacies, for many, making the digital leap to online transactions requires overcoming a lifetime of ingrained habits. The researchers conducted a detailed analysis of survey data from 314 respondents. They used structural equation modeling, a sophisticated statistical method, to identify relationships between variables emerging from the survey answers.

The team has found that three factors are associated with reliably building trust among older e-commerce users: brand image, monetary value, and offline presence.

Brand image emerges as a powerful influence. A vendor with a strong, positive reputation can reassure wary customers by reducing perceived risks, a critical concern for individuals used to assessing products in person. Whether through word-of-mouth, advertising, or long-standing credibility, a trusted brand becomes a dead cert, if you’ll pardon the allusion.

Equally important, the team found, was value for money. Competitive pricing and well-crafted discounts are not mere enticements. For older consumers, often living on fixed incomes, such financial incentives can make online shopping more appealing and more accessible.

Finally, the existence of a physical shop, somewhere in town or a not-too-distant location, offers additional reassurance. An offline location tethers the online operation to the real world. This makes it tangible and legitimate, almost suggesting that if one really had to, one could drive to the shop and discuss any concerns face to face with the manager. Ultimately, this notion bridges any gap in the trust one might have in a virtual as opposed to a physical shop.

What began as a necessary adjustment during the pandemic is evolving into a permanent shift, with many older shoppers—who may well not have had a prior digital life—proving that it can be, for them, just as with any Gen Z, all about the clicks.