Older Adults on Electronic Commerce: A Literature Review

Abstract

Electronic commerce keeps proliferating in the globalized market, and according to the market trends in both academic and commercial studies, the youth segment seems to be the primary objective of market strategies and the greater subject of academic studies. However, there is not much information about if the same situation in the market applies to the older adult segment, despite the growth in the number of older persons in many countries. To have a broader understanding of this matter, we carried out a review of the literature about this topic, with particular emphasis on the older adult's acceptance of electronic commerce, mobile commerce, mobile phones and the factors that influence their use of the technology. We also discuss some utilization of model and investigation theories, and we propose some directions for future research in this area.