New Research Insights On Marketing To Family Caregivers

Data from that The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP show that there are now more than 53 million Americans who provide unpaid care for a family member with health or functional needs. This represents approximately 21% of all adults. As many consumers who age prefer to stay at home either for personal or financial reason, the number of caregivers will continue to grow.

Despite the vast number of family caregivers, many of whom have common needs, marketing to this group has been relatively limited and often is not being done as effectively as it should. A new study from Age of Majority, a company focused on marketing to older consumers, provides insight into the family caregiver market and its product and service wants and needs. The study shows a clear gap between the wants and needs of caregivers and the current offerings of marketers.

Profile of Family Caregivers

So, who are these caregivers? Age of Majority’s study documents that they are a diverse and complex group who may be defined by different circumstances and experiences that can affect their outlook on caregiving and the need for paid help. About half of caregivers have been providing care for between one and five years, while one fifth have been doing so for 10 or more years. The most common care recipients are a mother/stepmother/mother-in-law, followed by a spouse/partner and then father/stepfather/father-in-law. Almost half (48%) live with their care recipient and nearly two-thirds of those who don’t say they live within easy walking distance. Many caregivers also work (40% full time and 12% part time) and one-quarter have children at home. The majority of caregivers are women (69%) compared to men (31%).

Understanding the Marketing Opportunity

The study also finds that caregivers are looking for support as the demand is there for paid help. In fact, eight in 10 caregivers are open to paying for some kind of help to support their caregiving needs, yet nine in 10 couldn’t cite any companies doing a particularly good job at supporting caregivers like themselves.

In terms of specific product or service offerings, interest is especially high in practical services that could enable care recipients to stay in their homes (such as home repair/maintenance services or personal care/hygiene), in those that could offset day-to-day household chores being performed for care recipients (e.g., cleaning or cooking services) and/or in those that may help with jobs that otherwise pose a physical challenge (e.g., moving services).

Jeff Weiss, CEO and President of Age of Majority observes that this market is not being served as effectively as it and that marketers need to better understand these consumers. He states, “At best marketers might see the role family caregivers play as gatekeepers and purchase influencers, yet how to engage them is still largely a mystery. At worst, this audience is being ignored all together. Turning that around requires understanding the dynamics of caregiving situations and getting caregivers and care recipients on board with the functional and emotional benefits of your offering.”

The Role of Technology in Caregiving

The study finds that over 90% of all caregivers are either currently using technology or see it playing some role in their caregiving future. Male caregivers and younger caregivers are more likely than their female and older counterparts to report that technology, is already playing a major role in how they deliver care or will play a greater role in the future. It is also notable that receptiveness to the use of technology in caregiving is much higher among caregivers compared to care recipients, a fact that marketers should be aware of. While there are differences depending on the type of technology being offered, in general the gap in receptiveness of tools is approximately 20% between caregivers and care recipients (e.g., 39% of caregivers are receptive to installing a Home Sensor System vs. only 19% of care recipients who would be open to this technology).

Wearable devices to track vital signs and for fall detection enjoy the highest receptiveness levels among both caregivers and care recipients. As shown in the chart below, other key applications for which respondents anticipate technology playing a role in their caregiving include help planning finances, medical monitoring/management, tech/online support, transportation, cleaning, physical and/or mental fitness, cooking and meal preparation, hygiene/personal care, home repair and maintenance, and moving support. Notably, all of these areas were mentioned by at least 20% of the sample as being applications where technology will play a bigger role in the future.

Weiss believes that technology will play a larger role in the future of caregiving, especially among those who are already comfortable using it. “We don’t see technology replacing the human interaction necessary for some elements of the caregiving experience, however with the exponential growth in technology and its applications, we expect it to play an increasing role in supporting care,” he states. “There is a big opportunity to help caregivers get their care recipients on board in embracing any technology for their care, or it’s unlikely to sell. Care recipients should be shown how your technology will feed their desire for independence, while easing any concern that it will take it away.”

Why have marketers (largely) ignored this audience?

While not all marketers are completely ignoring this audience as there are a number of companies that see it as potentially very important – either as gatekeepers to care recipients or as actual purchases of their product or service – it seems clear that more can be done to serve the needs of this market to the mutual benefit of companies and caregivers.

The challenge for many companies and organizations is that the caregiver audience is large and not very well-defined, so they may not know where to start in reaching them. Moreover, some organizations have been focusing on end-users directly. The chart below shows the top concerns caregivers have about their ability to provide care in the future. Understanding these issues is important in targeting this market.

It is striking that caregivers’ concerns about their own health is a major factor in this market.

“A huge factor driving the needs and concerns of caregivers is their own health,” says Weiss, “Many are battling their own growing physical limitations which is clouding their own future and ability to provide care. This unknown is a huge concern and an opportunity to support their needs and their care recipients’ needs together.”

What can marketers do to engage these 50 million caregivers?

Age of Majority’s research suggests that there is no ‘one size fits all’ strategy to better reaching what is a diverse and complex audience. Caregivers may have different needs based on whether or not they live with the care recipient, how far away they might live from a care recipient, their age, income, level of experience providing care and many other factors. Understanding these varying circumstances and needs is important in marketing to this group.

That said, as shown in the chart below, there are some commonalities in the factors that caregivers consider to be most important in their purchase decisions for their care recipients that provide some general direction for marketers.

Given the expensive nature of many products purchased by caregivers, it is not surprising that price comes in at the top of the list. However, it is also striking as to how big of a role referrals play in these purchases. Weiss provides an explanation, observing that, “By nature, caregiving decisions are highly emotional, and caregivers are reluctant to take chances where loved ones are involved. They need to have a high degree of trust in the service or product itself, so naturally turn to those they most trust for help and recommendations.”

The study also suggests additional strategic approaches for marketers. These approaches, which can be reflected either in the product offering or promotion, include:

· Recognizing that care recipients want to remain as independent and to live as normal a life as possible. Helping them feel respected and to keep a sense of dignity is something products/services should strive to do vs. highlighting their issues.

· Looking for opportunities to support the caregiver and care recipient together as their needs may be similar. For example, they both might have cleaning, cooking and maintenance needs. If you do a good job offering support for the care recipient, the caregiver might also be interested.

· Providing product options and benefits that help caregivers and care recipients better evaluate products and services together. Half of caregivers are making joint decisions with their care recipients and nearly half of caregivers claim their care recipients are paying for part or all of their caregiving expenses. This may add to care recipient desire to have more say in the products/services they use and that caregivers will help evaluate for them.

· Understanding what might be motivating caregivers to buy products/services to support the care they provide. The caregiver’s own health status, as well as that of their care recipient, may factor into their interest to pay for help.

While the caregiver market is indeed complex, following the above strategic guidelines is good practice for meeting the wants and needs of caregivers.