Silver surfers shop around for a bargain
Published On 9 February 2007
There is a generation of over 45-year-old silver surfers who are utilising the internet and its various price comparison websites to make sure they get a bargain on any purchase they make. With huge numbers of websites now offering aggregated prices from a variety of suppliers in a matter of seconds, older consumers are cottoning on to the price savings that can be had across a wide range of financial products and utility bills.
In fact, research from Birmingham Midshires has found that six in ten people in this age group are using price comparison websites for this very purpose.
Jason Robinson, Birmingham Midshires spokesman, said: "Our Life 2 research shows that the over 45s are clearly switched on in their ability to use the internet for creating and managing wealth.
"As an online financial services provider, Birmingham Midshires has long seen an increasing number of mums and dads managing their finances online.
"The findings show that this age group are far removed from the computer illiterate and technophobe stereotype and could probably teach their children a lot about shopping around for the best deals in both products and services."
Interestingly some regional divides emerged in the study with those in the north-west the most likely to have visited the internet to visit price comparison websites (42 per cent) while northern Irish residents were the least likely with 15 per cent.
