Activating effective demand to develop silver-haired economy
core reading
On the one hand, the silver-haired economy that provides multi-level and diversified products and services for the elderly is widely optimistic; on the other hand, the market for elderly-friendly products and services is not as popular as expected, and elderly readers often express that they cannot buy them. Satisfaction s product
In addition to cracking down on illegal activities such as consumer fraud, market supervision departments should also focus on using supervision to promote the healthy development of the industry
With the deepening of the aging population, meeting the increasingly diverse living needs of the elderly is not only required for the development of the national economy, but also related to the well-being of the people and social harmony.
On the one hand, the silver-haired economy that provides multi-level and diversified products and services for the elderly is widely optimistic; on the other hand, the market for products and services suitable for the elderly is not as popular as expected, and elderly readers often express that they cannot buy them. Satisfaction s product.
In response to this issue, our reporter interviewed experts and scholars, industry insiders and elderly consumers.
There is a gap between the market supply and the needs of the elderly, and the effective demand has not been fully activated
"In the past few years, I have bought 5 winter padded jackets and down jackets for the elderly from the Internet and physical stores. The elderly do not like it very much." said Mr. Zhou, a reader in Shunyi District, Beijing, "It's not that the clothes are too heavy, but the sleeve length, waist circumference, etc. The size is not suitable and it is uncomfortable to wear." Mr. Zhou said that some padded jackets and down jackets are good in terms of lightness, thinness and warmth, but some details are not practical or convenient. "For example, there are many zippers on clothes, and the elderly The eyes are not good, and the zipper is not as convenient as the button. In addition, the style is too fashionable and the price is relatively high, which does not meet the consumption needs of the elderly.”
Mr. Li, a reader from Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, also felt the same way.
He bought a pair of sofas for his parents. When they arrived, the parents thought that the style was good-looking and the quality was good, but they "sit down and can't stand up".
In this regard, Li Zhiye, chairman of a company specializing in the production of suitable furniture for the elderly, explained: "Young people generally like short and soft sofas, but sofas for the elderly should not be too low or too soft, the seat height should be about 45 cm, and the cushions should be It is necessary to use high-density sponge with higher hardness, otherwise the elderly will find it inconvenient to get up, and the soft sofa will also easily lead to poor blood flow."
Dang Junwu, deputy director of the China Research Center on Aging, believes that there are still few choices suitable for the elderly on the market, and the market price of some elderly products has a gap with the consumption level of the elderly.
The consumption decisions of the elderly are more complicated, and they need to consider whether their spouses and children support them, as well as their peers and social perceptions. These factors lead them to consume more cautiously.
"At present, two phenomena coexist with the insufficient consumption power of the elderly and the high production cost of enterprises, and the consumption demand for the elderly has not been effectively activated." said Huang Shisong, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Development and Strategy of Renmin University of China and director of the Research Center for Aging Industry.
"However, with the development of the economy and society, the consumption power of the elderly will become stronger and stronger, and the willingness to consume and consumption preferences will also change, which also indicates that the silver-haired economy has a very broad market." Huang Shisong said that at present, the market is on the rise. There are many general daily life service items, but the supply of services such as long-term care, rehabilitation care, and psychological comfort is relatively insufficient. Diversified and multi-level elderly care service needs of the elderly.
The standardization level of elderly products and services needs to be improved
In November 2021, the "Opinions on Strengthening Aging Work in the New Era" issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council proposed that relevant departments should formulate catalogs and quality standards for elderly products and services, and promote the certification of elderly care services.
At present, there are corresponding national standards for the configuration of facilities and equipment, basic service requirements for community day care centers for the elderly, and the basic norms, division and assessment of service quality in elderly care institutions.
Lei Yang, director of the Standardization Department of the Social Welfare Center of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said that relevant departments attach great importance to the aging industry from the perspective of top-level design, but relatively speaking, there is still a gap between national standards and industry standards compared with market demand.
Articles for the elderly cover all aspects of clothing, food, housing and transportation, involving many departments, and it is not easy to set standards.
"No rules can't make a circle, and the lack of corresponding standards will directly affect the quality of products." Lei Yang said that relevant departments are currently actively improving various standards. Powerful companies can do well in corporate standards first, and the state will also refer to advanced standards. and operability corporate standards.
Huang Shisong believes that from the perspective of investment environment, the business environment of the elderly care industry still needs to be improved.
"At present, pension institutions have changed from the approval system to the filing system, and there are almost no thresholds for registration, but there are still many restrictions on formal operations." Huang Shisong said that the "one license and multiple points" operation is to promote the branding and chaining of elderly care services. , large-scale effective measures, but in actual work, the establishment of outlets in different places and cross-regional operations still face the difficulties of multiple administrative licenses.
This requires relevant departments to establish information sharing and collaborative management mechanisms.
In the long run, the top-level design of the aging industry still needs to be improved.
Dang Junwu suggested that it is necessary to study and formulate a medium and long-term development plan for the comprehensive promotion of the aging industry, formulate subdivided industrial policies in the fields of aging culture, aging health, aging manufacturing, aging livability, aging services and aging finance, from market education, investment mechanism, Arrangements will be made in terms of model innovation, brand promotion and regional industrial cluster cultivation.
The development process of the old-fashioned furniture production enterprise founded by Li Zhiye is a microcosm of the development of the silver-haired economy.
In 2008, Li Zhiye's company invested and opened a special store for elderly products, selling more than 1,000 elderly products including blood glucose meters, blood pressure monitors, wheelchairs, and massage chairs.
But sales have been bleak, with more than a dozen stores closing one after another.
The company then turned to the development and manufacture of furniture suitable for the elderly and the bulk sales of elderly products for elderly care institutions.
"At the end of last year, the State Council issued the "14th Five-Year Plan" for the development of the national aging cause and the elderly care service system. The Ministry of Civil Affairs and other departments proposed to support 2 million families of elderly, disabled and disabled elderly with special difficulties to implement aging-appropriate transformation within five years. We seized this opportunity and participated in the renovation project. The development and growth of enterprises are inseparable from the rise of the silver economy." Li Zhiye said.
Strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of the elderly and create a friendly consumption environment suitable for the elderly
The elderly-friendly social environment includes not only the hardware construction of the public environment barrier-free, but also the caring and friendly software construction.
Judging from the letters from readers, safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly is one of the topics that has attracted more public attention.
Mr. Chang from Tuquan County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, recently left a message on the "Leadership Message Board" of People's Daily Online, saying that a local medical equipment company and a water purifier shop attracted the elderly by giving gifts in class to "brainwash" them. Products can cure all diseases.
"A jade bed costs 17,000 yuan, a water purifier that claims to use filtered water to wash dishes without detergent is 6,000 yuan, and an electrotherapy device costs 7,000 yuan... In fact, these are all lies, and there is no such thing as What's the use. The hard-earned money saved by the old people has been deceived by them."
Mr. Zhang from Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province said that his mother went to a bank to make deposits, but was induced to buy insurance by bank staff.
The family cancelled the policy the next day after they found out, but for the next few days, his mother kept getting calls from sales pitches.
"Advertising customer service claims that we filled out the application on the website, and also said that if we refuse to accept the application, we will bear the resulting economic losses. We urge the relevant departments to strengthen supervision and resolutely investigate and punish the behavior of deceiving the elderly." Mr. Zhang said.
Huang Shisong said that the consumption environment of the elderly needs to be further cultivated and improved.
On the one hand, an efficient and coordinated consumer rights protection mechanism has not yet been established for infringements in the field of elderly care;
Taking health care products as an example, some businesses have consumer fraud, but they are not up to the standard of fraud crimes. It is difficult to define the nature of the case and obtain evidence, and it is difficult for the relevant departments to form an effective crackdown.
How to unblock the information channels between multiple departments and form a joint force to accurately crack down on crimes still needs to be improved at the institutional level.
Dang Junwu believes that in addition to cracking down on illegal behaviors such as consumer fraud, market supervision departments should also focus on using supervision to promote the healthy development of the industry.
The reason why the elderly are deceived is because there is a need in this area, and leading the development of the industry in accordance with the needs of the elderly, not only does not allow criminals to take advantage, but also allows the elderly to enjoy a better life.