Sarawak SMEs can win the growing older-adult market by building gerontechnology into their apps, customer service and payment options.

Picture a 68-year-old retiree standing beside her parked car, squinting at a sunlit smartphone screen. With physical coupon booths and parking kiosks phased out, her only option is to pay through a mobile app. Behind her, cars are idling, waiting for her spot. She wants to pay for her parking space, but the app has logged her out, demanding an update and a multi-step password reset. Overwhelmed and embarrassed, she simply gets back into her car and drives home, opting not to visit her neighbourhood market. Gerontechnology addresses exactly this gap, and it opens the door to the silver economy.

This quiet, everyday frustration plays out across Sarawak in car parks, eateries, and service counters every single day. As our state steadily approaches aged state status, demographic shifts are reshaping our economy. Older adults represent a rapidly growing segment of our population, carrying decades of life experience, stability, and spending power. While businesses pour vast resources into capturing younger markets, an active generation with significant purchasing power simply falls outside the focus of most modern business models and digital tools.

Why Gerontechnology Is a Business Strategy

This is where gerontechnology comes in. Gerontechnology means designing products and services with older adults in mind. Beyond being a good cause, it is a practical business strategy that keeps older adults independent, connected, and active in the economy. When technology is designed around human needs rather than technical novelty, older adults remain empowered participants in daily commerce rather than reluctant bystanders.

Sarawak’s Policy Direction for an Ageing Population

Recognising this demographic shift, Sarawak is developing the ‘Sarawak Ageing Blueprint 2026–2030’. Crucially, this framework does not exist in a vacuum. It runs parallel to the ‘Sarawak Digital Economy Blueprint 2030’ and the ‘Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS 2030)’. These strategies highlight how digital integration, from digital healthcare to inclusive public services, must support an ageing population so that no citizen is left behind. This policy alignment signals a clear transition, showing that older adults’ inclusion is no longer viewed merely as social welfare, but as a core component of state economic development.

Digital Skills for Older Adults on the Ground

On the ground, this vision relies on concrete initiatives that foster lifelong learning and age-friendly digital environments. A prime example is the ‘Digital Technologies Seniors Program (DTSP)’, an award-winning collaborative initiative co-founded by ‘Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak’ and Switzerland-based ‘Foundation Rolf Schnyder’. What began as youth-led reciprocal learning workshops evolved into ongoing WhatsApp support communities, empowering older adults to build digital literacy while staying protected from scams and AI-related risks. Through this peer-support approach, older adults do not just learn to use digital tools once; they build lasting digital resilience. Meanwhile, local businesses are beginning to adapt. ‘Pay & Go’ introduced an Elderly Easy Payment (EEP) feature that automatically processes parking fees using license plate recognition, eliminating friction for older adult drivers.

Four Ways SMEs Can Tap Into the Silver Economy

While state blueprints set the policy foundation, the private sector, especially small and medium enterprises, must now operationalise these goals to drive active economic participation among older adults. Small and medium enterprises form the backbone of Sarawak’s domestic economy, so their daily interactions with customers shape how accessible our cities truly are. Tapping into the silver economy does not require reinventing the wheel, but it does require shifting core business strategies. Here are four practical ways local SMEs can adapt:

Co-Design

First, adopt co-design to build age-friendly digital spaces. When developing apps, websites, or ordering kiosks, SMEs should involve older adults directly in user testing. High-contrast text, larger touch targets, simplified navigation menus, and clear error recovery options prevent drop-off when older adults encounter frustrating technical barriers.

Visual Learning Support

Second, support lifelong learning with bite-sized visual guidance. Traditional user manuals and lengthy text FAQs rarely help digital adopters. For example, businesses could create 30-second video walkthroughs, step-by-step visual flyers, or simple QR code guides to help elderly customers navigate digital payments or loyalty sign-ups effortlessly. When guidance is visual and accessible at the point of use, older adults gain the confidence to explore new digital features independently.

Hybrid Customer Service

Third, maintain flexible, hybrid customer service. While automation reduces overhead, total digital enforcement alienates older customers with substantial disposable income. SMEs should therefore maintain staff-assisted counters or simplified secondary options alongside self-service tech. Training front-line staff to assist older customers with patience builds long-term brand trust and customer loyalty.

Family-Linked Features

Finally, drive economic security through family-linked features. Older adults frequently rely on children or grandchildren to set up technology. SMEs can design family account features, such as shared digital wallets or remote account management, allowing younger relatives to assist while keeping elderly family members autonomous and financially active.

Digital Inclusion Drives Economic Growth

Digital inclusion is not an act of charity; it drives economic growth and keeps our society connected. As Sarawak advances its digital economy under PCDS 2030, SME entrepreneurs who embed gerontechnology into their product design and customer care will not only unlock a loyal, high-value market, but also ensure no generation is left behind.