| Sumario: | Purpose In discussions about products for older adults, people typically consider assistive devices such as wheelchairs, crutches, and hearing aids. However, among the 2.5 million older adults in Taiwan, there are only 16.1% who are disabled1. Specifically, probably only 10% of the older adults need these kinds of products to support their daily lives. As for the other 90% who have minor disabilities, their special needs are due simply to the effects of aging and are often ignored or disregarded. For example, in Taiwan it is common to see stores exclusively for pets (over 1,550 stores). However, finding a product specifically designed for older adults can be difficult. Thus, L'elan Enterprise aims to develop a portal of the older adults, by the older adults, and for the older adults, which allows them to more easily and conveniently enjoy life during their senior years in a relaxed and carefree manner. Method Started in 2007, L'elan Enterprise provides products to meet the needs of older adults for food, clothing, housing, traffic, and amusement through both virtual and physical channels. On the one hand, customers can browse the website to obtain an overview of what they need on the internet. If the information is sufficient, purchases can be easily made via this virtual channel. On the other hand, the physical channel is possible through five outlets located in the five largest cities in Taiwan. For customers who are not clear about the details of products, they are able to see and handle the products of interest in order to make a final decision in a traditional way. In addition to product information, the website also serves as a portal that offers useful information about the daily lives of older adults as well as a platform for older adults to share their opinions or feelings with one another. Results & Discussion Currently, there are more than 2,000 items available in the stores of L'elan Enterprise2. Among these the most popular are shoes (12.9% of revenue), mobility products (12.7% of revenue), and hearing assistance (8.4% of revenue). In addition, 18.3% of the transactions were made over the internet by 17.8% of the customers. All of this information about purchases provides important clues about how the products and services can be better prepared for the customers. One-third of the products are imported from Japan, and another one-third are imported from other countries. The remaining one-third are designed and manufactured in Taiwan. Thus, there is still space for local manufacturers to expand. Furthermore, integrating with the portal provided by L'elan Enterprise will make it easier for local manufacturers to reach customers. Moreover, the statistics show that average customer spending is NTD 2,634 in one transaction, and the number of customers keeps growing. Clearly, there is a bright future for this industry, but there is still a long way to go before this industry reaches its full potential.
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