The Overlooked Consumer Group: Retired Women or 大妈

Everywhere you turn there are reports about Chinese millennials. And yes, they are the future of the market, but we often neglect a massive consumer group, dama’s (大妈) or retired Chinese women in their 50s, 60s and 70s. In 2018, over 11.9% of the Chinese population is over the age of 65, which is well over the 7% mark that United Nations set as the standard for an aging society. 

Here are some features of this group: 

• They are sensitive to price, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t have money.
• Usually, dama manage the family’s finances, they know where to spend money generously, and where they should make careful decisions. Price isn’t an issue when it comes to children or grandchildren’s education. But when it comes to eating and other FMCG, they value quality the most. Brand name doesn’t have much influence on them. 
• The article shares an example of one woman who has spent over 60,000 RMB on custom dresses for dance performances, because that’s a hobby that she highly values.
• In terms of entertainment, dama are always looking for a deal. For example, when they want to go to KTV, they choose the afternoon, because they can typically get group buying deals. If they want to dance, they choose to dance outside in parks and squares because it is free. They don’t have to do SPA or go to bars to relax themselves, they’d rather invite a few friends and climb mountains. 
• Many are tech savvy and many use mobile e-commerce

This article shares some great insights into this often overlooked generation of consumers, I guess the question is, how do we connect with dama influencers? My guess is that there are many long tail micro dama influencers that are very active members of WeChat groups. But not sure if there are any other online communities where we can find them. 

Read more: 大妈的消费世界: 60000元买舞群，600元出国玩