TeeBeeDee Launches Virtual Goods Line For Boomers

Earlier this week social network TeeBeeDee announced that it would add a virtual goods line to its suite of offerings. This is not by itself so unusual, but interesting in context of the audience TeeBeeDee is pursuing as a social network. TeeBeeDee bills itself as the only social network aimed exclusively at boomers, with most users falling in an age range between 44 and 64. TeeBeeDee intends to prove that virtual goods do appeal to the over-40 set with its line of products, called Goodies.

"The naysayers swore that Boomers wouldn't interact online, then they said social networking was only for the younger generation.  Well, Boomers have proved them wrong every time.  Not only are we rabid online consumers and social marketers, we're adopting new technologies more quickly than ever.  It's time to stop focusing on the youngsters and realize that the money resides with the population over 40," said Robin Wolaner, CEO of TeeBeeDee, in the original press announcement.

Goodies are in terms of function more virtual gift than virtual good, since they're designed to be sent to other users with personalized messages attached. Wolaner describes the items as falling into a range designed to reflect the main reasons why users come to the site.

For users seeking romance, there's a range of gifts representing roses and champagne. For users looking more to offer emotional support, there's a range of gifts representing pets, flowers, and even chicken soup. There's also the usual special occasion gift line, including a birthday cake that Wolaner describes as having "a lot of candles!"

TeeBeeDee is hoping to make about $1 per active member per month through Goodies sales, perhaps more. TeeBeeDee claims that their network engages its users 4-5 times more than is average for the boomer age range on other social networks and will be offering Goodies as part of its premium subscription services. 

For handling payments TeeBeeDee is partnering with TwoFish. Right now the primary payment method is credit card. Providing for unbanked users is less of a priority for the boomer demographic, Wolaner promises that more payment options are coming soon.

We've seen that specialty social networks like Dogster and Scrapblog can do quite well with virtual gifts and goods offerings that cater to an engaged audience. We've also heard from other sources that boomers tend to take a lot more interest in virtual goods programs than advertisers usually expect. TeeBeeDee is going to be an interesting case to watch, to see if it disproves the often-held assumption that virtual goods are primarily going to be of interest only to young people who grew up with the Internet. 

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