Wednesday, December 10, 2008

From Menopause Pajamas to Designer Reading Glasses---Baby Boomer Businesses Find Success


With over 75 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964, many have already become senior citizens and the rest will be there within the next 20 years. This group of individuals has been through many life changes from the naive Vietnam era flower children to the overindulgent Yuppies of the 80’s. With this newest transition into middle age, marketers have taken notice and are beginning to market products specifically targeted to the aging baby boomer, primarily because there are so many of them. With women as the primary shoppers in our nation, many of these products are specifically geared toward women.

As Baby boomer women age and their bodies change, they are increasingly looking for remedies and solutions for age related issues to include vision problems, joint and knee pain, menopause, incontinence, wrinkles, grey hair and protruding bellies to name a few. It’s no surprise that many niche businesses addressing the specific needs of baby boomers have sprung up in the last few years. Answers to age related ailments are just a Google search away. The Internet offers a plethora of solutions to the many ailments and conditions baby boomers face.

Let’s start with menopause which seems to be one of the biggest hurdles facing baby boomer women. Some of the symptoms include night sweats, hot flashes, dry skin, low libido, fluctuating hormones and fatigue. In my search for solutions to menopausal night sweats and hot flashes, two unique products surfaced after an online search. One interesting product called The Bedfan blows cool air between the sheets to help menopausal women stay cool. Another great product was an innovative collection of menopause wicking pajamas available at Cool-jams.com. These pajamas wick the moisture away from the skin and then dry quickly to keep you cool and dry. These pajamas also had an antibacterial component, so they always stayed fresh. The Cool-jams collection was about 25-35 % less expensive and much trendier and softer than other wicking brands. With the Bedfan and Cool-jams, it seems that global warming is already diminishing.

Larger numbers are beginning to appear on cell phones and clocks as aging Americans lose their ability to see close-up. The demand for designer reading glasses has increased as baby boomers get older, yet still demand style. The females in this generation are not ready to look matronly, thus creating a surge in sales of designer glasses . The website boomersintheknow.com is a great source for trendy, updated reading glasses in both clear and sunglass styles.

We can’t forget about all the nutritional products and vitamins currently marketed baby boomer women . One business, Puritan Pride, an online vitamin distributor offers a vitamin kit targeted to women over fifty. The bundle contains a variety of vitamins and supplements tailored to the nutritional needs of this segment to include…a multi-vitamin for overall good health, Neuro-PS to support brain function, Glucosamine/ Chondroitin to help promote healthy joints and cartilage, calcium /vitamin D for strong bones and teeth and CO Q-10 for heart health. This certainly seems like a lot of pills, however preventative medicine is probably a better way to go than expensive hospital bills.

If urinary incontinence is the problem, there are several companies offering solutions. Depend On Myself.com offers a device to help strengthen the bladder by making kegels easier. This sounds like work, but bladder strengthening may be the answer for some women. Another online company sells a variety of supplies to help make urinary issues more manageable. The Incontinence Store offers belted under garments, disposable briefs and pads in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Are you worried about the extra love handles and protruding stomach? Shapewear.com offers Yummie Tummie and Spanx body shapers to look slim without dieting. This is a god-send to all of the baby boomer women trying to look sleek and slim in our clothes. Are you interested in a budget tummy tuck? We found a pair of tummy tuck jeans by “ Not Your Daughter’s Jeans” that make your body look 10 pounds slimmer.
What about the “back fat” or “bra bulge” that seems to show up on middle aged women? The Unbelievabra bodyshaper at unbelievabra. Is a viable solution. This amazingly comfortable garment supports and shapes your breasts and slims the torso. All of these quick body fixes for the middle aged spread are definitely a cheaper and less invasive alternative to plastic surgery.

For centuries women have been concerned about looking young and wrinkle-free. There’s now an overabundance of anti-wrinkle and anti-aging treatments available online to help combat the symptoms of aging.. All claim to have special ingredients to help diminish wrinkles and age damaged skin.

Let's start with Frownies which are skin pads to train facial muscles to regain strength and tone, thus creating fewer wrinkles and a more youthful appearance. Frownies are made from natural, skin-friendly materials and are available in shapes to be used around eyes and mouth or your forehead and brows at Frownies.com.

Another product called Dermelect Empower MP6 blends wrinkle-relaxing ingredients, with hydrators, vitamins, and skin synthesizers to reduce wrinkles without the "plastic mask" look of Botox. The research we found online stated that this product clinically reduced wrinkle depth and volume by up to 65%, and boosted collagen production to "plump out" wrinkles. The Dermalect products were expensive, but seemed to have some of the best results.

So often we can tell a women’s age by her hands. Women often use anti-aging treatments on their face and neck, but completely ignore their hands. Robanda Anti-Aging Hand Cream sold by quite a few distributors claims to fight the aging process with antioxidants, sunscreen, vitamin A to strengthen nails and an ingredient called gatuline to fade the dark age spots that begin to show up in middle age.

There is no guarantee that any of these beauty products work, but Joan Lunden, Murad’s celebrity spokesperson certainly looks great on the company’s video ads. We’ll never really know if her youthful appearance is due to her natural genetic make-up or the positive effects of the Murad products? In any case, some of these products are probably worth a try before investing in expensive lasers , injections or plastic surgery.

We have only dented the surface on online baby boomer products; however, after our in depth research, we think that we have covered the best of the bunch. It seems that the business of solutions to middle aged related problems is growing faster than the US deficit. As overall online sales continue to increase, we feel that the numbers of baby boomer products will certainly increase to keep up with this incredible demand.
By: Anita Gemperle Mahaffey

Anita’s Bio:
Anita Gemperle Mahaffey is a business author and public speaker specializing in entrepreneurship. She lectures at business conferences and universities around the world. Previous to her lecturing career she spent over 25 years in corporate marketing and is currently the owner of two businesses herself.


Photo by : TX Tamz

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great article...You hit all the issues well...People (women) just have to do it and take the good advice...

Anonymous said...

Hello California Dreamer...

I really enjoyed your blog.
Special sleepwear for Baby Boomers with night sweats material. You are one smart cookie...why didn't I think of that? (she smiles)

You did give me pause for thought though...I have always designed my own eye glasses...granted many are "out there" and I did sell them in my antique store. Perhaps I have been sitting on a million...

I do hope you will come over to BabyBoomerAdvisorclub some day and look around. Have a glass of wine or a cup of tea together...this is your official (off the books) invitation.

Southern smiles and world peace,
Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen~

PS...last night I went to bed wear my tiara...I must remember not to do that again...

Unknown said...

Great article! However, you left out one company that makes shapwear that truly works and is far more comfortable than any of the other brands....and believe me I've tried them all. Slimpressions shapewear is designed to slim a woman's arms, back and midriff. They also minimize roll ups which is one my biggest pet peeves with shapewear. If you haven't tried Slimpressions, you should. You will fall in love. You can buy the products in boutiques across the country and in Canada such as Intimacy in Atlanta and NYC as well as on Herroom.com. Check them out at www.slimpressions.com

Unknown said...

I have actually like the idea of tummy-tuck jeans! Currently I am using shapewear to minimize the bulges, Oprah swears by it and I do too! =)

Katarashop said...

Heloo ..

thanks for share ... ^_^