This article addresses the enhancement of the appeal of Russian marketplaces for older consumers through mobile interface adaptation. It is noted that the overlooked potential of a substantial demographic of older Russians, presenting an underestimated target audience for marketplaces. The accumulated insights from research and development in mobile design for users aged 50 + are synthesized, incorporating considerations for age-related characteristics in interface adaptation. The article presents findings from empirical research, facilitating the identification of preferences and requirements among Russian consumers aged 50 + regarding the mobile interface of marketplaces. Key elements contributing to respondent satisfaction include addressing the overload of the main application page, ensuring the accessibility of main menu buttons, offering interface personalization options, and optimizing the search system. Proposed modifications aim to broaden the customer base among older demographics while preserving the interface’s usability for other customer segments, thereby potentially boosting the profitability of Russian marketplaces.

marketplace, silver consumers, older age, users 50+, mobile interface

The evolution of multilateral digital platforms, utilizing digital technologies as an intermediary between the demand and supply sides (O’Sullivan and Shankar 2019; Shankar et al. 2022), has brought about changes in the contemporary Russian market. In the early 2000s, from 2005 to 2008, the B2C e-commerce market in Russia grew steadily by an average of 30-40% (Daviy et al. 2018). The economic crisis of 2008-2009 slowed down the growth rate of the market; nevertheless, the volume of the e-commerce market still continued to increase, although not as fast as in previous years (Fig. 1). At the same time, as experts note, this market is currently undergoing a transformation into the «Marketplaces + Branded Stores» model (Virin 2023).

Figure 1.

Volume of online sales in Russia from 2011 to 2022, in billion rubles. Source: (Data Insight, 2022).

As depicted in Fig. 1, there has been a consistent growth in online sales in Russia over the past decade. In 2011, it stood at 240 billion rubles, and by 2022, it soared to 5660 billion rubles—a remarkable increase of over 20 times during this period. The escalated growth rates in the e-commerce market from 2020 to 2022 can be primarily attributed to the significant shift in consumer behavior brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, compelling consumers to opt for online purchases (Hashem 2020; Haddadi & Rebiazina 2023).

According to research from Data Insight, Russia led in 2022 among the fastest-growing online retail sales markets, with a growth rate of 38%. Other leading countries, including the Philippines and India (26%), Indonesia (23%), Brazil (22%), Vietnam and Argentina (19%), also contributed to this upward trend (Data Insight 2022). Forecasts suggest that by the end of 2023, the market volume is expected to reach 7 trillion rubles (Data Insight 2023). The user base of Russian marketplaces, such as Wildberries, Ozon, Yandex.Market, AliExpress Russia, and SberMegaMarket¹, has accordingly witnessed a steady increase, with each platform surpassing an annual turnover of 30 billion rubles in 2022 (E-commerce Index… 2022). Consumers are drawn to these marketplaces due to the affordability of goods, attractive discounts, a wide product range, and convenient delivery.

However, despite over a third of Russians falling into the age group over 50 (Rosstat 2023), the primary customer base of Russian marketplaces consists of individuals aged 18 to 45 (Data Insight 2023). In the authors’ perspective, one reason the potentially lucrative segment of older paying consumers, often referred to as ‘silver consumers’ (Sheresheva et al. 2017), is not adequately addressed is the inconvenience of interfaces that do not consider the age-related limitations of this user category.

The user interface plays an important role in modern marketplaces, being a key element that ensures interaction between the user and the platform. According to a number of empirical studies, the usability of the interface is a significant factor influencing the attractiveness of a mobile application for older users (Pattison & Stedmon 2006; Alshehri & Freeman 2012; Rot et al. 2017). Obstacles caused by an unfamiliar way of shopping and the lack of clarity in the process of searching for the right product online are aggravated for older people by deterioration of vision, memory, and a decrease in the speed of assimilation of new patterns and procedures (Eiguren Munitis et al. 2021; Pereira et al. 2021; Prasad & Srivastava 2021). At the same time, as shown in the study (Haddadi & Rebiazina 2023), in the post-covid era, the ease of online shopping has become even more important, along with factors such as customer satisfaction and the number of reviews.

Given that currently, older Russians are active users of mobile applications (Sheresheva & Berezka 2017; Nazarov et al. 2020), we can assume that adapting the interface with consideration for the age-specific characteristics of this user category could, along with digital promotion tools, provide additional growth in the customer base of Russian marketplaces and, consequently, an increase in the platforms’ revenue.

This article showcases the findings of a study focused on uncovering possibilities to improve the convenience and attractiveness of shopping on marketplaces by adjusting mobile interface elements for consumers aged 50 +. It provides an overview of research and development experiences in the realm of mobile design tailored for users aged 50 +, incorporating considerations for age-related characteristics in interface adaptation. The article presents the outcomes of empirical research, enabling the identification of preferences and requests from Russian consumers aged 50 + regarding the mobile interface of marketplaces. Additionally, it suggests modifications to mobile interface elements aimed at enhancing the appeal of Russian marketplaces for older consumers.

There are three main types of mobile applications: mobile web applications, native applications, and hybrid applications. Each type comes with its own set of advantages and drawbacks.

Mobile web applications operate within a browser and utilize web development technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. They don’t require installation on the user’s device, making them accessible on any device with a browser. However, they often have limited access to device functions such as the camera and microphone.

Native applications are tailored for a specific operating system, written in a language specific to that system (e.g., Swift for iOS or Java for Android). They have complete access to all device functions, utilizing them to their full capacity. Nevertheless, developing native applications for each platform is time-consuming and costly, which can be a challenge for small businesses or smaller development teams.

Hybrid applications leverage both web technologies and certain native application features, capable of running on multiple operating systems. They can be developed using popular frameworks² like React Native or Ionic, expediting the development process. However, they may encounter performance issues and lack access to some device functions.

Mobile applications offer unique opportunities for companies aiming to enhance communication with customers, create innovative content, and improve product and service quality (Bozhenko et al. 2023). These applications enable companies to establish new forms of communication, allowing customers to interact with the company and its brands in real-time (Sima et al. 2020). Users can download apps, search for information, receive notifications about new products, make purchases, and have orders delivered to their homes. This not only provides customers with increased freedom and convenience but also offers companies new avenues to enhance their products and services.

Moreover, there exists an additional opportunity to cultivate lasting benefits for customers (Barnett et al. 2019). For instance, apps can grant access to exclusive promotions, discounts, and bonuses that are unavailable on other platforms. This capability empowers companies to fortify their relationships with customers and foster loyalty to their brands.

Consequently, mobile applications have become an integral component of modern marketing. They enable companies to elevate the quality of their services and products, generate innovative content, and improve communication with customers, nurturing enduring relationships. Concurrently, the interface of mobile applications plays a pivotal role in influencing user interaction. A well-designed user interface can significantly enhance the usability and attractiveness of the marketplace, thereby boosting its competitiveness in the market.

An effective interface should be user-friendly and intuitive, enabling users to swiftly locate essential functions and use the application seamlessly. Additionally, it should boast an appealing design that keeps users engaged. However, empirical studies reveal that application designers do not always accurately assess what is most important for users.

A study by Fu et al. (2019) compared the preferences of designers and users regarding eight different user interfaces, uncovering disparities in how designers and users perceive these interfaces. The authors of the study categorized attributes influencing the perception of user interfaces by designers and users into three thematic groups: efficiency, effectiveness, and emotional evaluation. Through the open coding process, 16 categories were identified within these groups, offering insights into key design attributes affecting the overall perception of user interfaces for both users and designers. The findings revealed that designers prioritize emotional evaluation, focusing on the overall visual impression of interfaces, their clear structure, intuitive clarity, and the potential for a lasting impression on users through the combination and presentation of interface elements. Conversely, users prioritize efficiency and effectiveness, emphasizing the availability of functions, an intuitive layout, and overall color. Users also stressed the importance of the interface eliciting a desire to make a purchase, along with the inclusion of buttons and transitions to ensure a seamless purchasing experience. These results underscore the need to balance designer perspectives and emphasize the importance of analyzing user reviews and comments, particularly after launching or updating the interface.

Optimizing the interface of mobile applications becomes especially relevant when considering older generations, a target audience often overlooked by many Russian businesses, including marketplaces. However, the new age cohorts entering the aging period differ significantly from past perceptions of «older people» (Kalmykova et al. 2017; Barysheva et al. 2019), including in terms of media consumption (Centorrino 2011; Hepp et al. 2017). Modern generations of «silver» consumers possess a higher level of human capital in terms of education, skills, and abilities, as well as a better health profile, allowing them to remain active, productive, and useful for much longer (Harper 2014: 588). Moreover, «young» consumers of older ages often experience little to no physical limitations, and their needs align more closely with those of the 40-45+ age cohorts (Stroud & Walker 2013; Sheresheva & Buzulukova 2014; Lassen 2017).

Nevertheless, when examining the preferences of older age groups, particular attention should be given to age-related limitations (Pereira et al. 2021). Individuals aged 50 and above frequently face challenges associated with impaired vision and hearing. The elderly may encounter a decline in reaction speed and cognitive abilities, necessitating more time to perform tasks that were once executed more swiftly in their younger years. Older individuals often grapple with understanding and assimilating patterns and procedures with which they are not familiar (Eiguren Munitis et al. 2021).

The characteristics of all types of memory also deteriorate with age (Ruzhenskaya et al. 2018):

• short-term memory, which involves the storage of newly perceived information;
• working memory, related to a person’s ability to remember certain information while simultaneously performing other tasks;
• semantic memory, corresponding to the storage of factual information accumulated throughout a person’s life;
• prospective memory, relating to a person’s ability to remember that something needs to be done in the future.

From the perspective of using mobile interfaces, it is particularly important to consider the following challenges for older age groups:

• reduced dynamic visual attention, as finding visual elements in the interface that can be interacted with requires the user’s focus;
• decreased motor control, leading to an increase in response time due to the loss of muscle strength and endurance;
• a decline in language comprehension, an ability that may experience deterioration with age;
• deterioration of tactile perception, a crucial capability given the widespread use of touch screens in designing visual interfaces for digital applications for the elderly.

The primary focus of studying the interaction of the older generation with touch screens is on the visual interface and interaction gestures (Genaro Motti et al. 2014). Notably, older individuals often outperform younger participants in online content searches, particularly excelling in content-oriented searches compared to navigation-oriented searches in general (Etcheverry et al. 2012). Consequently, several researchers suggest that a content-oriented design can be a promising direction for the design of mobile applications targeting the elderly (Li & Luximon 2020).

In general, numerous studies indicate that the abilities required for proper and comfortable interaction with graphical interfaces are precisely those that deteriorate the most with age (Pereira et al. 2021).

A.Correia et al. have identified several essential interface characteristics that can accommodate the physical limitations of the older generation (Correia et al. 2014). The hierarchy of the application being developed should be intuitive, making navigation elements easier to use. It is also advisable to replicate main buttons on all pages of the application for quick navigation. For older users, it is beneficial to highlight the «back» button for easy navigation in case of mistakes. Since vision and the sense of touch become less acute with age, a user-friendly interface design is necessary to allow older individuals to manage and use device functions more smoothly (Barnard et al. 2013).

As demonstrated in a study by Genaro Motti et al. (2014), the use of «flipping through» and «scrolling» poses no problems for older users. To enhance the usability of application interfaces, minimizing contact with the keyboard is recommended. It is preferable to use large intervals between elements that require actions, especially on pages that allow scrolling. When placing interactive elements, consider positioning them further from the edge of the screen. The use of both icons and accompanying text helps improve the accessibility and clarity of elements (Genaro Motti et al. 2014).

Studies emphasize the importance of font style, especially its size (Bernard et al. 2001; Darroch et al. 2005; Hou & Hu 2022) and type (Dobres et al. 2016; Huang & Li 2017). Inappropriate font style is a common issue faced by older individuals when reading from mobile devices. The significance of using intervals between objects has already been mentioned, and the interval between letters is no exception. The recommended suitable font size for the elderly ranges from 6 to 12 (Ho & Tzeng 2021), with the most favorable font size for reading being from 12 to 14 (Bernard et al. 2001).

Despite the presence of numerous constraints, many developers appear to intentionally overlook the 50+ age category in their user base. However, we believe this approach is misguided, especially for marketplaces. Understanding a relatively short list of necessary improvements for the convenience of users aged 50 and above could significantly contribute to the growth of the customer base. Let’s delve into the results of our empirical research, which focuses on identifying the most crucial enhancements for the interface of mobile applications in Russian marketplaces for older consumers.

To gather empirical data, we employed several research methods, including synthesis, induction, deduction, comparative analysis, and both qualitative and quantitative statistical methods.

During the initial phase of the study, we conducted an analysis of user reviews³ for mobile applications from Russian marketplaces such as Wildberries, Ozon, Yandex.Market, SberMegaMarket, and Aliexpress (Fig. 2). Reviews were sourced from both the AppStore and Google Play platforms, where users provided feedback on installation and app usage. A mini-survey involved 100 respondents who selected words they deemed appropriate to describe a comfortable or uncomfortable mobile interface.

Figure 2.

Design of the 1st stage of empirical research. Source: compiled by the authors

Subsequently, we utilized these keywords to identify negative reviews that could contribute to the characterization of a comfortable or uncomfortable mobile interface. Through the analysis of this feedback, we extracted key insights and trigger points related to interface usability. Following this, we tested the mobile interfaces of leading applications (Ozon and Wildberries) based on the identified user trigger points. This step aimed to validate the existence of problems raised by users.

Upon completing the initial stage, and considering insights from the literature review, we formulated hypotheses regarding the assessment of existing applications’ convenience for older consumers:

H1: Increasing font sizes and icons enhances the usability of the mobile interface for older users.

H2: Labeling the main buttons’ icons ⁴ improves the usability of the mobile interface for older users.

H3: The incorporation of a voice assistant function, reducing reliance on the keyboard, enhances the usability of the mobile interface for older users.

At the second stage, we conducted an online survey utilizing a structured questionnaire through the Google Forms service to test our hypotheses.

The questionnaire comprised 10 questions, organized into the following sections:

1. Part 1 – Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents
2. Part 2 – Determination of respondents’ attitude towards marketplaces
3. Part 3 – Determination of respondents’ attitude towards marketplace mobile mpplications
4. Part 4 – Definition of the respondent’s «advancement⁵
5. Part 5 – Collecting respondents’ reactions to interface designs

All respondents independently completed the questionnaires online.

Sample characteristics

Figure 3 and Table 2 furnish details about the socio-demographic attributes of the respondents who engaged in the online survey, encompassing gender, age, and field of activity. The dominant age group is 60-64 years, constituting almost half of the respondents, with 48% being retirees. Additionally, the majority of respondents are women, accounting for 67% of the total.

An essential aspect for further analysis of responses was the inquiry about font size and icons on respondents’ mobile phones. This information proved crucial, as individuals frequently opt for a larger font size due to a decline in vision. It becomes imperative to consider this data during analysis, as individuals accustomed to a larger font may encounter challenges adjusting to applications with a smaller font size. Notably, the majority of respondents (68.4%) fall into the category of users who prefer an enlarged font.

The subsequent section of the article will unveil the primary findings of the quantitative study.

Table 2.

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Gender (A) and age (B) of respondents, (N=383)

A)			B)
Gender distribution	Percentage of respondents		Age distribution	Percentage of respondents
Women	67%		50-54 years old	22%
Men	33%		55-59 years old	24%
			60-64 years old	30%
			65-69 years old	23%

Source: compiled by the authors

Figure 3.

Sphere of employment of respondents, (N=383). Source: compiled by the authors

The research presented in this article sheds light on a critical aspect often overlooked by Russian marketplaces—the significance of user interface convenience, especially for the «silver» consumer demographic, comprising approximately one-third of the nation’s population. This demographic represents a promising segment, particularly with the emergence of financially capable and tech-savvy individuals from the «baby boomers» generation.

The primary objectives of a marketplace’s user interface are to facilitate easy navigation, selection, and purchase of goods or services. Surprisingly, enhancing the mobile application interface for the age-specific needs of Russian «silver» users demands minimal technological overhauls and financial investments. The study underscores the necessity for a relatively straightforward adaptation of the mobile interface, considering the age-related constraints of consumers aged 50 and above. This adaptation involves key measures such as labeling main button icons and allowing users to personalize the application through font and icon size adjustments. Crucially, this adaptation, when coupled with digital promotion strategies, holds the potential to significantly expand the customer base and foster behavioral loyalty in a relatively short period. The envisioned outcome includes heightened revenue growth for marketplaces achieved through the increased engagement and loyalty of the «silver» consumer segment.

While the research presented in this article provides valuable insights, certain limitations should be acknowledged. The study’s hypotheses were tested primarily on declarative data, relying on respondents’ self-reported information. To enhance the robustness of future research, there is a need for behavioral testing involving diverse interface modifications. Each hypothesis was tested using a limited number of survey questions, which may have constrained the ability to comprehensively assess consumer characteristics related to the interface. Future research endeavors should involve the development of a more detailed questionnaire to capture a broader spectrum of user experiences. Another limitation is the study’s sample composition, predominantly featuring women, deviates from the general population’s gender composition on Russian marketplaces where male users typically predominate (except for Wildberries). It is essential to highlight that, during the qualitative research and questionnaire testing, respondents aged 50 + emphasized the significance of enhancing the convenience of the mobile application interface. They acknowledged that such improvements could potentially lead to more frequent orders on the marketplace. However, it remains crucial, in subsequent research phases, to investigate the direct impact of interface quality on the purchasing activity within this user category. Moreover, attention must be directed towards understanding how the proposed interface modifications will impact the convenience for those buyer segments that contribute the most substantial revenue to the marketplace. To enhance the internal and external validity of future empirical results, a refinement of the study’s methodology and design is imperative. This will facilitate a more in-depth exploration and clarification of the information gathered by the authors regarding the imperative need and potential directions for enhancing the interface of mobile applications on Russian marketplaces, particularly with consideration for the unique characteristics of older consumers.

Data Insight (2022) Annual Data Insight Report «Internet Commerce in Russia 2022». URL: https://datainsight.ru/sites/default/files/DI_eCommerce_Russia_2022_0.pdf

Data Insight (2023) Online Sales 2023: trends and drivers. URL: https://datainsight.ru/DI-FedorVirin-OnlineSales2023_trends_drivers

E-commerce Index Top-100 (2022) URL: https://top100.datainsight.ru/

RBC (2021). The share of Internet users in Russia among young people has approached 100%. Technologies and media. URL: https://www.rbc.ru/technology_and_media/12/01/2021/5ffde01e9a79478eb5230426

Rosstat (2023) The population of the Russian Federation by gender and age as of January 1, 2023. URL: https://rosstat.gov.ru/compendium/document/13284

Virin F (2023) Online sales trends 2022-2023. Consumer behaviour, sales channels, development of marketplaces. URL: https://datainsight.ru/DI_Virin_Trends2022-23

Results of the review analysis.

The data is collected and divided into two tables according to the placement platforms “App Store” (Table A5) and “Google Play” (Table A6).

Table A7 and Table A8 show the results of analyzing the app reviews by keywords. The reviews for each application were divided into two groups “total negative reviews”and “negative reviews about the interface” (negative reviews – all reviews with a rating of up to 3 stars inclusively).

Reviews were divided according to keywords, for example, “pictures”; “catalog”; “design” were attributed to “overload of the main page”; in most reviews, users used several keywords at the same time, for this reason, percentages are used as metrics in these tables.

Sheresheva Marina Yurievna – Doctor of Economics, Head. laboratory of institutional analysis of the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University, Moscow, 119234, Russia. Email: m.sheresheva@mail.ru

Petrukhina Kristina Maximovna – graduate of the Faculty of Economics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia. Email: kristina.petrukhina2812@gmail.com