Boomer + beyond helped Opus turn vision into reality – building trusted, joyful communities through audience-led insight.
Boomer + beyond has supported Opus Villages through a multi-stage research journey designed to inform every aspect of its later living proposition.
From the outset, we shaped bespoke methodologies for each phase - from 1:1 Zoom interviews with over-70s open to moving, to a 3-day online community with their adult children, and on-the-ground usability testing of the Opus website.
Along the way, we’ve explored priorities, barriers, motivations and the nuances of tenure preference and financial structuring. Later phases have expanded reach, quantifying interest and brand resonance via large-scale surveys of over-70s and their families. Across every project, our focus has been on what matters most to the audience – independence, reassurance, and the potential for a more fulfilling lifestyle. The insights gathered have helped Opus to refine its messaging, evolve its proposition and fine-tune its communications with clarity and confidence.
Working with Jonty and the team at Boomer + beyond was incredibly helpful for us to understand our customers and what they would be looking for.
They took the time to truly understand our customers, our market, and our unique challenges, going beyond just data collection to offer insights we hadn’t even considered. Their communication throughout the process was exceptional, keeping us informed and engaged at every stage. The findings they delivered were incredibly valuable and played a key role in shaping our business strategy. We highly recommend Boomer & Beyond to anyone looking for in-depth, actionable customer research.”
David Reaves (Director, Opus Villages)
Stage 1: Laying the foundations
This was Boomer + beyond’s inaugural project with Opus Villages – the starting point of an ongoing insights journey. Together, we set out to understand what really matters to older homeowners considering a move into retirement living.
We spoke to 24 individuals aged 70+, all mortgage-free and open to moving, but not yet living in a retirement community. Conducted via hour-long Zoom interviews, this qualitative stage explored their motivations, hesitations and expectations – from the emotional drivers of independence and reassurance, to practical considerations around pricing and what’s included.
The findings offered rich, first-hand perspective on what prospective residents want and need, helping Opus to validate assumptions, uncover barriers, and shape a proposition that feels both desirable and grounded. As our first collaboration, it laid the groundwork for everything that followed – a flexible, audience-first approach to research that continues to support Opus in bringing its vision for later living to life.
Stage 2: Family voices
Following our initial work with prospective residents, Opus Villages asked Boomer + beyond to turn attention to another key audience: the adult children helping their parents navigate later living decisions.
This second phase of research explored the challenges, motivations and decision-making processes of those most likely to influence a move. We ran a three-day online community with 45 participants aged 50-69, each with elderly parents who met Opus’s financial profile.
The approach allowed for depth and nuance, surfacing both rational and emotional considerations - from fears around independence and cost, to the appeal of safety, social connection and care. Participants responded to the Opus proposition and shared candid reflections on what might help or hinder conversations with their parents.
This phase deepened Opus’s understanding of how to engage with this critical cohort – shaping how and where to communicate, and how to offer reassurance around the things that matter most.
It was tricky at first because she felt that I thought she should be "put out to pasture" - her words, not mine!”
Female (Age of parent: 75, Southern England)
Both say it is morbid and don't want to discuss it. They are also both very reluctant to admit, or even think about, the fact that they may at some point need day-to-day help”
Male (Age of parent: 76/77, Southern England)
Stage 3: Tried & tested
As the Opus proposition evolved, so too did our research. Stage three focused on how people interacted with the offer in a real-world setting.
Boomer + beyond conducted in-person usability interviews with 16 participants – a mix of prospective residents and their adult children – across Birmingham and Southampton. The sessions explored overall response to the Opus proposition, as well as navigation, comprehension and user experience of the Opus website.
Participants were observed on laptops, mobiles and tablets to reflect natural browsing behaviours. This hands-on phase highlighted what was landing well – from the aspirational tone and visual appeal to the reassurance of progressive care – as well as areas for improvement around clarity, cost transparency and intuitive navigation.
These insights helped Opus refine the digital journey and ensure the website supported, rather than hindered, exploration. A vital step in making the offering not only desirable, but accessible too.
Stage 4: Value & viability
This nationwide survey marked a pivotal stage in our work with Opus Villages – reaching over 1,000 homeowners aged 70+ to understand their expectations of later living.
While the research captured broader perceptions of retirement living, a key focus was exploring the financial side: preferred purchase structures, attitudes to service charges, and the perceived fairness of different pricing models. Participants were shown the Opus proposition – including its Community Facilities Fee – and asked to weigh up various options in terms of value, transparency and appeal. The insights revealed how financial decisions are deeply personal and often shaped by a desire for clarity, control, and legacy.
This research equipped Opus with vital direction on how to frame and structure their pricing – not only competitively, but in a way that aligns with their audience’s values and mindset. It was a defining step in creating an offering that feels both aspirational and attainable.
Maintaining independence and personal privacy
The freedom to come and go as I please
Priorities:
The balancing between independence and the need to be looked after in old age.”
It would only work if I could keep my personal space and privacy.”
Joyce (Aged 78 living in Birmingham)
Stage 5: Supporting loved ones
Our final phase in this multi-stage journey returned to the adult children of Opus’s core audience – those often holding the most sway in retirement living decisions.
Building on earlier qualitative work, this large-scale survey reached 239 individuals whose parents were aged 80+, financially qualified, and living independently in England. The aim was to better understand how this group thinks, feels and acts when exploring later living options on behalf of their parents.
We explored awareness, barriers and motivators – but crucially, also tested resonance with the Opus Assisted Living offer. Respondents reacted to the full proposition via an animation, sharing views on care, independence, and what they most needed reassurance around. Pricing was part of the picture, but so too were emotions: guilt, worry, hope.
This stage helped Opus sharpen its messaging, understand shifting roles in the decision-making process, and speak more confidently to those navigating it on their parents’ behalf.
The fact that my mother could retain her independence, without me having to worry about her and especially in the colder season, that she doesn't fall over when shopping, she has her heating on . Above all I want her to have access to medical facilities”
Janice (Age of parent: 84, Midlands)
I love the fact that there are beautiful grounds, my dad would love that and he obviously would be really well looked after but a lot of the facilities would definitely not interest him as he has always been a loner, my mother would have loved it!”
Paul (Age of parent: 82, southern England)
