IndustryThe Older You Are, The More You Want Personalized Search

The Older You Are, The More You Want Personalized Search

Those aged 50 and older want personalized search more than younger age ranges, a new survey has found.

Personalization of search results is seen by many including myself as a big step forward to a next generation of search. But will consumers accept it? A new survey conducted on behalf of ChoiceStream, which provides personalization capabilities to portals and others, provides some insight.

Apparently, those who are aged 50 and older are most interested in personalized web search, with 35 percent rating it tops, followed by personalized book recommendations (30 percent), personalized news (22 percent) and personalized travel (21 percent).

Interest in personalized search drops off as the age range becomes younger:

  • Age 50+: 35%
  • 35-49: 19% (top choice, books, 30%)
  • 25-34: 19% (top choice, books, 30%)
  • 18-24: 16% (top choice, music CDs/downloads, 45%)
  • Average: 21% (top choice, books, 30%)

The survey involved 673 respondents interviewed in May 2004. Here are some other key figures from it:

  • 81 percent indicated they would prefer to receive personalized content.
  • 64 percent were willing to provide insight into preferences for personalized products and content.
  • 56 percent of respondents are willing to provide demographic information.
  • 40 percent of respondents are willing to agree to transaction and clickthrough monitoring.

At the moment, the most significant personalized search offerings include Google Personalized Web Search and Eurekster. My article on Eurekster, Eurekster Launches Personalized Social Search, covers both that service and the issue of personalized search engine in general, for those new to the concept.

Want to comment or discuss this story? Come join in at our forums.

Search Headlines

NOTE: Article links often change. In case of a bad link, use the publication’s search facility, which most have, and search for the headline.

Google hopes to raise $2B in IPO
CNN Money Jul 26 2004 1:46PM GMT
SEO and Paid Search Campaigns: Share the Data!
ClickZ Today Jul 26 2004 11:24AM GMT
Going beyond Google
vnunet.com Jul 26 2004 10:41AM GMT
The Empire Blogs Back
Wired News Jul 26 2004 9:45AM GMT
UPDATE – Lycos sells 5.6 pct of Norway’s Fast for $17 mln
Reuters via Yahoo Jul 26 2004 9:43AM GMT
Blogging breaks out into big business
Silicon.com Jul 26 2004 7:48AM GMT
Digital encyclopedias: Why they’re a smart buy
Detroit News Jul 26 2004 6:31AM GMT
Amazon CTO: ‘We’ve Just Scratched The Surface’
Information Week Jul 26 2004 6:23AM GMT
Online ads have become a billion-dollar biz
San Francisco Business Times Jul 26 2004 5:04AM GMT
Businesses Help Organize Photos
New York Times Jul 26 2004 4:16AM GMT
MSN Launches Hotmail Plus
PC Magazine Jul 25 2004 12:42PM GMT
Google in discrimination suit
Australian IT Jul 25 2004 8:05AM GMT
Treasures of the digital age at risk of being lost for ever
Independent Jul 24 2004 9:24PM GMT
Intellectual property: EBay Ruling Punctures Web Liability Shield
Law.com sub Jul 24 2004 3:09AM GMT
Google’s challenge of Froogles.com name rejected
SiliconValley.com Jul 23 2004 11:40PM GMT

Resources

The 2023 B2B Superpowers Index
whitepaper | Analytics

The 2023 B2B Superpowers Index

8m
Data Analytics in Marketing
whitepaper | Analytics

Data Analytics in Marketing

10m
The Third-Party Data Deprecation Playbook
whitepaper | Digital Marketing

The Third-Party Data Deprecation Playbook

1y
Utilizing Email To Stop Fraud-eCommerce Client Fraud Case Study
whitepaper | Digital Marketing

Utilizing Email To Stop Fraud-eCommerce Client Fraud Case Study

1y