Week in numbers: streamers see boost, shopper safety lacking, parents pin hopes on yoga
Pitch deck running low on hard numbers? Presentation slides looking a little bare? Allow us to help. Each week, we gather the insightful new research you may have missed to inform your work or inspire a new idea.
57% of British parents are considering sending their kids to a yoga class, according to Westfield
This week, we highlight new research on DTC customer satisfaction, attitudes of British parents and a global study on consumer experiences.
35% of consumers find DTC unrewarding
A new survey of 1,000 UK consumers by Digitas has found many direct-to-consumer brands are failing on customer service. 68% of respondents said that brands did not understand or focus on their needs as customers. Satisfaction dropped off after initial sales, with just 35% of respondents saying they felt ’rewarded’ from their relationship with the brand.
The survey also pointed to the difficulty of standing out from the crowd for online retailers. 66% of respondents said their shopping experience failed to stand out in any way from other brands.
Marius Bartsch, head of customer engagement at Digitas UK, said: “However, brands need to understand that this direct relationship is a double-edged sword – you can communicate with customers more easily, but you must do it well, otherwise you will fall foul of what matters most.”
UK TV viewing up 47 minutes on average in 2020
Ofcom’s Media Nations report was released this week, revealing that Brits consumed a daily average of five hours and 40 minutes of audiovisual content in 2020 – 47 minutes more than in 2019.
Streaming services have been the big winner: UK subscriptions to streaming services climbed to 31m last year, up from 20m in 2019. That’s up more than 50%. By September 2020, three in every five UK homes were signed up, compared to half of homes a year earlier.
In contrast, the average time spent watching traditional broadcast TV each day in 2020 increased by nine minutes to three hours 12 minutes, which may sound good, yet the report states: ‘The increase was entirely driven by people aged 45 and over.’ In contrast, people aged 16-24 spent an hour and 17 minutes watching broadcast content – down four minutes from 2019.
71% of consumers want new experiences
Mastercard has unveiled global research on consumer attitudes to experiences. Kantar surveyed almost 18,000 consumers in 18 countries worldwide, and conducted 1,000 interviews.
The headline figures support the theory that the pandemic has reminded consumers about the important things in life: 81% said they preferred experiences with friends or family, 71% said they wanted to do things they’d never done before and 66% said they wanted to learn about new cultures. Still, it’s worth noting that as many as 19% of the sample actively prefer pursuing those new experiences by themselves.
Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer at Mastercard, said: “The pandemic forced people to reconsider what they need from experiences, and brands to reimagine how to deliver them. Findings from the research help us understand what is most meaningful to people today, and what experiences we can bring them to help create moments and memories that are truly priceless.”
A third of consumers want better safety measures in shops
OMD and Omnicom Commerce Group also released a global study this week, focusing specifically on retail. The survey spanned 4,000 respondents across six global markets (Australia, China, Germany, Spain, the UK and the US).
39% of respondents said they shopped mostly online during the pandemic – and 24% plan to continue to buy more online in the future. 49% said they preferred the experience of shopping in-store and 47% enjoyed browsing in person. While still significant figures in the wake of a pandemic, it’s striking that over half of the study’s respondents preferred shopping online.
A third of respondents said they wanted increased health and safety measures, and 26% said more contactless options were a priority.
57% of British parents considering yoga for kids
Research from Westfield, the company behind the gargantuan London shopping center of the same name, has found British parents are urgently seeking ways to occupy their home-bound sprogs. A One Poll survey of 1,000 British parents found 84% were looking for activities that will improve their kid’s wellbeing during the summer; 53% said day trips were the most effective method for boosting their children’s moods, while 69% said their kids were happier outdoors.
Over half of the sample (57%) are considering yoga or meditation as a solution, meaning Shoreditch creatives could soon be sharing their yoga studios with some extremely calm children.