India has one of the youngest demographics in the world; almost 30% of the population is in the 0-12 age group. If one were to divide this group into two – 0 to 7 and 8 to 12 – the tweens (8-12) is a group that marketers really should not be ignoring. There are some insights (not necessarily backed by any formal research but my personal observations) that I would like to put forward regarding this age group:

1. The tweens are pretty smart and aware – a lot more than we think. In fact, their awareness levels and their ability to take decisions is on par with the teenagers of a decade or two ago.
   2. Tweens today have disposable income! Apart from the pocket money that they get, they do get regular gifts from doting relatives and family friends that they save (and spend).
   3. While many of us get irritated by ads and promotions, the tweens like them. They tend to take snap decisions based on what they see and like.
   4. They want things FAST. They want them now. A smart marketer would remember this – if they go to an outlet and don’t get the product they want, they won’t wait. They would just shift to something else.
   5. The tweens are value conscious. Since they want a lot of stuff, they would want each to be affordable. So would their parents, trying to meet the insatiable demands of their tween kids!
   6. While they may still not be totally into social media (may be they are but I feel that Facebook and its ilk is more the teenagers’ best friend), they do associate themselves with tribes (or communities). Identifying these tribes is important for marketers.

Given that India’s population will keep increasing and more and more of the young would be entering the world, marketers must develop products and strategies keeping tweens and teenagers in mind.

Visual courtesy : https://www.flickr.com/photos/araswami/