last word

Tween Tech

By Erinn Morgan

Retailers are increasingly catching tweens with a medium historically reserved for teens and adults—the Internet.

One good reason for this trend is that the percentage of children who have access to the Internet has increased dramatically—from 56 percent in late 2003 to 93 percent in 2006, according to a study by Media Metrix. The explanation for this boom in usage can be tied to earlier exposure to computer technology for the kids in this age group.

Why should retailers consider these pint-sized consumers? Because they have major purchasing power. There were nearly 16 million tweens in the U.S. in 2006, and together they spent about $18.3 billion, according to Packaged Facts. Not surprisingly, much of this group's spending is done online. A study by eMarketer indicates that more than two-thirds of kids ages eight to 14 are involved in online shopping and buying.

This usage trend has tweens trading the television for computer time. The Media Metrix study pegs tweens and young teens (ages eight to 14) on average spending 1.5 to two hours daily surfing the Internet. Popular sites include music sites (55 percent), e-card sites (25 percent), animal sites (35 percent), and sites on books (20 percent).

Still, a new study from eMarketer points to significant differences in online activity of children in the age groups of eight to 11 and 12 to 14, the most marked being that pre-teens shift from the tween group's online game-playing behavior to socializing. In the future, though, some believe tweens will follow this lead as they become more comfortable with online technology.

While Internet usage is undeniably on the rise with tweens, e-mail is not necessarily the communication tool of choice. Tweens that were surveyed by Refinery for the Kidzworld website ranked e-mail as less favorable than Instant Messaging (IM).

In fact, according to recent research conducted by Simmons, 20 percent of tween online users said they used e-mail in the last month. Conversely, 77 percent of adult Internet users checked e-mail on an average day.

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