Serious money is to be made by health marketers that make online information systems easier to use for seniors reluctant to use the web for health information, reports MediaPost, citing a new study from agency GroupM and research company Millward Brown.
The study shows that the lack of trustworthiness and ease of use are the two major stumbling blocks to getting seniors to turn to the web for health info.

Some 11 percent of online seniors remain reluctant to use the web for medical info research, largely because they don't consider that information trustworthy; 15 percent of seniors overall don't go on the web but would if sites were simpler to use, information were easier to find or they had help from a "gatekeeper." About 12 percent use such gatekeepers - often friends or family members - to guide them online or do the information retrieval for them.

The report suggests that health marketers, by making their sites easier to use and developing one-stop-shop sites, could capture a good portion of those reluctant users. It also suggests going through those gatekeepers or other already-trusted sources in order to spread word-of-mouth about what their site offers and how easy it is to use.