BOSTON-The next major growth opportunity for wireless carriers is the ‘tween’ market, according to research firm Yankee Group. The market comprises children between the ages of 8 and 12.
The tween market today accounts for 2.6 percent of all wireless subscribers with 5.3 million users, the Yankee Group said. The numbers mean that more than one-quarter of all tweens currently have a cell phone.
According to the Yankee Group, the tween market represents a substantial growth opportunity for wireless carriers during the next several years, and is set to double by 2010. Growth will be driven by several factors, including carrier marketing toward tweens.
“In order to capitalize on the market’s growth potential, handset vendors and carriers must improve how they market to the tween audience,” said Marina Amoroso, a Yankee Group research analyst. “Devices need to be cool not cute, and carriers should tailor family-share plans to personalize their offer for tween audiences in order to appeal to both kids and parents.”
The majority of wireless users in the tween category are between 10 and 12 years old. The younger users in the category are expected to continue to have low penetration due to lack of demand, parental concerns about costs and parental hesitancy to introduce their children to wireless technologies at a young age, said Yankee Group. A variety of child welfare advocates have decried the marketing of cell phones to children.
Already the move toward the tween market has begun. Both Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and Verizon Wireless sell phones specifically designed for children.
