For the over 65 Italians the smartphone is increasingly becoming the tool that can help counteract loneliness and bring back to that sociability no longer possible due to health risks and related restrictions Covid. In times of pandemic, almost three quarters of seniors in Italy, precisely 72.6%, has become aware of the need to be ‘digitally proficient’ with new devices and about 62%, thanks to video calls and messages, managed to feel less excluded from external relations during the lockdown. And there’s more: practically half took advantage of the moments of restriction to discover the functionality of their smartphones and 39.5% even changed it, receiving used it from relatives or buying it new.
Strengthened by these data emerging from a survey by Astra Ricerche, to which is added the fact that 71% of seniors like a touch keyboard and integrated features, the Austrian Emporia has decided to return to the Italian market after years of absence and to entrust the leadership of the company in our country to Mauro Invernizzi, experienced manager of the technology devices sector for ‘seniors’. The brand returns with new smartphones which, among other things, they also have Whatsapp pre-installed, a simplified interface, optimized screens with good readability and which can be equipped with a smart cover that has four physical keys programmable as desired. “There is a real market need, with what happened in the past year and what is happening today “, the Italian CEO Invernizzi told time.news.
“With Covid on a social level there has been a huge impact and Emporia has decided to re-enter the Italian market with a series of products to help the senior reference segment, a very large segment“.
As the Italian CEO indicates, “there has been an impulse, but also a need. These people live alone at home and sometimes technology does not always reach them and the right tools are not always available. With the pandemic , it is true, there was an incentive to overcome the technological barrier. But with what tools? A ‘senior’ has a product in hand but what is the use if he is then unable to use them? “, asks Invernizzi, who explains the path traced by Emporia for our country: “We are focusing above all on the over 75 and also the over 85. Our goal is to bring this number of users to evolve in Italy, which are between 7 and 8 million. But most of all we want them to overcome the digital barrier and allow them to re-socialize, in a period in which the possibility of meeting relatives is being lost “.
Among the features that Emporia has included in its devices are those that allow you to use your smartphone for digital payments. “We have integrated the contactless feature into the phone, to allow those who do not move much to be able to go shopping and pay by phone, without first having to go to withdraw the cash “, Invernizzi explains in defining this function as” very important “to the point that Emporia has also tightened, in a couple of countries in Europe and now he is also evaluating for Italy, some agreements with banks.
“In their customer portfolio they have many people over the age of 75 – says the CEO – who have never used the app developed by the bank. We showed them our devices, they found them interesting and let employees’ relatives try them, with the pre-installed app that allows you to immediately connect to the bank’s services “.
Emporia’s products, says Invernizzi, “are in line with market needs and prices. 65% of the people we interviewed are autonomous in purchasing the device, they know what they are buying. They get advice from relatives. and friends but then the decision is made by them. They are careful to evaluate the cost, but if the product meets the needs, they buy it regardless of the price. We have many ambitions on the Italian market. We need to make a further contribution to this segment which I fear, given the current situation, it will still be necessary to support with a series of products that can simplify the technology“, concludes Invernizzi.
