Crossing the Analog Bridge: GoGoGrandparent Drives Results

Digital Literacy is Essential

A growing number of the oldest members of our societies are getting online, and connecting to the world through smartphones. According to Pew Research Center “Adults (in the U.S.) 65 years and older remain well below the average in smartphone ownership but have grown markedly from 2019 (53%) to 2021 (61%).” This is positive news. However, gaps remain not only in smartphone ownership between the young and the old, but also in their digital literacy - an individual's ability to find, evaluate, and clearly communicate information through typing and other media on various digital platforms. 

This lack of digital literacy may lead to a sense of alienation from many of the apps that the digital literate have come to love and rely-on in their daily lives. These apps provide the individuals increased access to goods and services, like ride-hailing apps, which increase mobility options. The inability of individuals to get from place to place increases the risk of social isolation, which may lead to poorer health, greater health care spending, and increased mortality. 

Combine the lack of digital literacy with the inherent need (and desire) to retain mobility - a key measure of “instrumental activities of daily living” which signals an individual’s ability to remain independent and live at home (and not in a residential care setting) and the first one to go - and a market opportunity emerged for one American company, GoGoGrandparent, to bridge the analog and digital worlds.

Enter GoGoGrandparent

GoGoGrandparent works by providing customers with a traditional dial-up telephone number, which connects to app-based ride-hailing services, like UBER or Lyft. Drivers are informed, in advance, of any assistance the passenger may need. GoGoGrandparent earns by charging a monthly membership fee of $9.99 plus a concierge fee of $0.27/minute from the start of the ride plus the vendor's fare. On the surface, this may sound expensive, but their solution is a lot more affordable than hiring a caregiver, or moving into a residential care setting. It makes transportation attainable for those that lack digital literacy.

Perhaps the coolest thing about GoGoGrandparent is the simplicity of its origin story. Betty Luce, the grandma of co-founder Justin Boogaard, had broken her leg and was resistant to trying app-based ride hailing services for her transportation needs. Boogaard tested his concept by sending a handwritten note in a hand-addressed envelope from fictional CEO “John Fitzpatrick.” She used the service and fell in love and gave honest feedback on the service - something challenging for family members to do.

Boogaard did something that few innovators in the space do; he paid attention to what made his target group tick. He listened to what they wanted, not just what they needed - a key differentiating factor in success and failure. Today, GoGoGrandparent serves hundreds of thousands of older Americans across the country.

Could a model like this work in your corner of the world? Let us know!