Cognitive Limitations Of Older E-Commerce Customers In Product Comparison Tasks

The number of older consumers making e-commerce purchasing decisions is constantly rising. We examined the impact of age-related cognitive limitations on older adults' choices in a series of multi-attribute choice tasks designed to mimic the process of products comparison and selection on e-commerce platforms. 135 older, middle-aged and younger adults were asked to participate in an on-line experiment. We found significant age-related limitations in solving simple and moderately difficult tasks, especially in the older adults group. The mediational model indicated an interplay between the age-related limitation and the role of additional variables (Helplessness of Contracting an Infectious Disease and Numeracy) in explaining the relationship between aging and performance in the multi-attribute choice task.