To coincide with the launch of our Leisure Time & Travel Snapshot Report, senior research manager – Laura Lyon – pulls out some of the more pertinent in-home leisure trends to have recently emerged.
A couple of months ago I shared some trends emerging from our research into how people are spending their leisure time. The focus of the blog post was out of home leisure trends, now let’s talk in home leisure trends…
It’s time to escape.
Recent news stories at home and abroad continue to induce uncertainty. This uncertainty has created a consumer desire for leisure activities that provide escapism.
Brexit, Trump and terrorism are among the most unsettling issues that have been dominating news headlines lately. In our “always on” world of 24 hour rolling news and smartphone news alerts it can feel like a constant barrage of negativity…
So people are craving entertainment and escapism, and there are more options than ever for people to enjoy from within the comfort and safety of their own homes.
According to a Mustard poll, the leisure activity people say they do most often is watching TV, with 58% saying they do this regularly. So our love affair with relaxing in front of ‘the box’ continues, and more recently launched services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video means there is no shortage of content to distract us from what is going on in the world.
Crime drama in particular is capturing the imagination of the public. After all everyone loves a good story right? For example, last month 4 out of the 5 top TV ratings in the UK came from Line of Duty. On a separate note, this trend towards storytelling is something we are seeing in our own industry. Check out Irina’s recent blog post for more details.
Only 10% fewer say browsing the internet is one of the activities they do most often (49% say they do this). Of course there is an ever-increasing volume of content available online. We see a whole raft of user generated and ‘real’ content available through the likes of YouTube and on social media. Think Instagram Live and Facebook Live. This allows people to build relationships with others online, and enjoy the comfort this affords.
There are rumblings of a return to simpler times.
Listening to music closely follows browsing the internet as a leisure activity participated in most often (40% say this). Music is witnessing a return to analogue; according to Britain’s Entertainment Retailers Association vinyl sales are enjoying something of a renaissance.
The revival of the record can be seen as symptomatic of a desire to move away from leading a life spent look at screens. The appeal of the physical product of the record, the action of choosing, engaging with and playing one, as well as the unique sound evoke an appealing sense of nostalgia.
And we have more where that came from!
Assuming you are as keen as we are to ensure that your organisation understands the changing consumer landscape and remains relevant in the future, please get in touch to request a copy of the full ‘Market Snapshot: Leisure Time and Travel’ report.
To request your copy, please email david.hickson@mustard-research.com.
