UK Consumer Insights to Drive Your Business’s Change Strategy in 2020

Using Brandwatch Qriously to survey 1,000 UK consumers via their smartphones and tablets, we asked people what they’ve missed most during lockdown to shed light on their priorities and desires for the future.

The results are part of a wider survey of 5,000 people across the UK, Spain, France, Italy, and Germany. The methodology is available below.

We’ll cover:

• Eating and drinking
• Holidays and travel
• Sports and exercise
• Shopping, spending, and saving

With over a third of UK respondents admitting that the pandemic has adversely affected their mental health (11% higher than the average for Europe), consumers in the UK are feeling particularly unsettled and are therefore less predictable.

And when we compare UK respondents with others across Europe, we see that their lifestyles have been affected particularly strongly by the pandemic.

Our world has changed and so have consumers. Now, businesses must stay close to what people want in order to adapt successfully to new needs and to build resilience in the shifting circumstances.

Let’s dive into the data.

1. Eating and drinking

Implications for the food and drink, retail, and hospitality sectors:

• Increased demand for alternative drinks could mean growth opportunities for retailers
• Snackaholic Britain: Supermarkets should pay attention to snacking trends when making buying and product placement decisions
• British public looking forward to socialising and eating out: Confidence boost for hospitality ahead of opening under social-distancing later this summer

What’s changed already?

Just over half of UK respondents who reported their drinking habits have changed say they’ve been drinking more alcohol since lockdown began, while approximately 1 in 10 have decided to go teetotal and avoid it altogether.

Meanwhile, a third of people over 55 who have changed their drinking habits report they are drinking less alcohol. Our more mature respondents are instead more likely to turn to caffeinated beverages.

Even before lockdown began, the British public were starting to feel the love for craft and premium soft drinks, as well as artisanal alcoholic beverages. People are continuing to be adventurous and try other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, particularly in the 18-34 age group.

Tip: As people settle into a summer largely spent at home and away from the pub (which currently remains closed), now could be an opportune time for retailers to launch a quirky addition to their drinks portfolio, or publish recipe books and cocktail kits to empower home-based experimentation with alternative beverages.

With restaurants shut and many people at home with more time on their hands than usual, it’s not surprising that of those who have changed their culinary habits, nearly half of respondents say they are eating and cooking more.

Just over a quarter of UK respondents say they are eating less, but males aged between 18 and 34 are over-indexing for this behaviour (44%). This trend could be a symptom of the precarious situation some people now face in terms of their personal finances, stress, or a decision to cut down for health reasons.

In comparison to other Europeans surveyed, UK respondents are snackaholics. 27% of people across Europe who have changed their eating habits say they’re eating more snacks. In the UK, it’s 43%.

What is the UK looking forward to most?

Although most people (62% of respondents) think it will take longer than six months for society to get back to some semblance of “normality”, when it does, people are most looking forward to socialising with friends and family.

Going out for food or sharing food and drink at home with loved ones is the second most-missed activity after human contact in general.

And when asked what they’ll prioritise after lockdown, 52% of people put socialising at restaurants and bars at the top of their list.

This offers an indication of how people may choose to prioritise their disposable income when lockdown eases and there’s a little more choice. It’s also testament to the UK population’s love for its wonderfully diverse hospitality industry, and the emphasis we place on food for social occasions.

2) Holidays and travel

Implications for the travel and tourism sector:

• UK divided on whether pandemic will change personal holiday choices. Travel businesses must remedy the customer trust crisis they’ve inadvertently found themselves facing
• International travel remains appealing, but Brits’ first priority is a “staycation”: The most successful destination marketing campaigns may look very different in 2020
• People’s reactions are very different across different age ranges, indicating varying perceptions of risk associated with Covid-19 and travel

What’s changed already?

Although UK travel and tourism is currently on hold, in line with current government regulations, many holiday companies will be getting ahead of the game and planning for a summer season à la social-distancing.

With 43% of respondents having postponed or cancelled their holiday plans in light of the pandemic, might there be healthy demand for winter sun breaks in the last quarter of 2020, or a surge in demand for 2021 international travel if travel restrictions are lifted?

Travel businesses designing marketing campaigns will need to understand the impact of Covid-19 on public trust and buyer intent. Are people going to be receptive to destination marketing messages now? Will brands need to weave in more messages of reassurance, to reignite the desire to travel internationally in the short- to mid-term?

We asked consumers about their preferences to find out.

How will people want to spend their holidays?

When asked what they are most looking forward to after lockdown eases, 45% of UK respondents said travel and holidays. When tourism resumes, 53% of those respondents said they plan to travel and holiday in the same way as before Covid-19.

Over two-thirds of the respondents who said they’re looking forward to travel and holidays are still keen to travel abroad once the tourism industry is up and running again, however, at least in the short-term, Brits say they will be prioritising a “staycation” over a trip abroad for their first holiday post-lockdown.

It may therefore be a little while before the Brits are back abroad. As Matt Hancock put it, “It is unlikely that big, lavish international holidays are going to be possible for this summer.”

Businesses offering cruises, package holidays, and group adventure trips may have to work a little harder to rebuild the trust of the British public and provide reassurance that they can holiday in a safe and relaxing way.

Based on these results, it’s likely that respondents in the 55+ age category will be more receptive to beach and package holiday promotions than those in the younger age groups. Spa breaks are the lowest priority for the older generation. Instead, people over 55 are most likely to choose “staycation”, possibly because they’re worried about air travel.

Because of the pandemic, many businesses have fallen victim to a customer trust crisis through no fault of their own. We recently published a guide to amplifying the voice of the consumer to share practical ways your business can stay on top of customers’ needs, wants, and concerns, and make smart, consumer-fit decisions.

3) Sports and exercise

Implications for retailers and leisure and sports organisations:

• Brits are approaching exercise very differently under lockdown, with a split between those exercising more and those exercising less
• Those new to exercising at home are in the market for the associated apparel and equipment – brands should move fast if they want a slice of the action, although the opportunity may have already passed
• Returning to the gym and outdoor sports are top priorities for active Brits, which is encouraging for gyms and outdoor activity centres alike

What’s changed already?

Just over half of respondents who have changed their exercise habits said they’re exercising less than before lockdown began, however a significant proportion (33%) are doing more. It’s a mixed picture.

Do we think we’ll maintain our new exercise habits?

We asked respondents if they think they’ll maintain their new exercise habits after the pandemic: 26% said definitely not, 57% said maybe, and 18% said definitely.

Given that the world may never return to “normal”, there’s no telling whether Brits will continue with these new exercise habits – such as running – and continue to adapt.

Brits are missing the gym as well as spending time outdoors for sports and hobbies: 47% and 31% of respondents ranked these two activities as a top priority for post-lockdown, respectively.

4) Shopping, spending, and saving

Implications for retailers, supply chains, and financial services:

• Some items are becoming dispensable in the eyes of consumers. Retailers must keep an eye on these trends as belts are tightened
• Spending and saving habits differ across age and gender, highlighting opportunities for financial services to align with new consumer priorities
• “Price”, “Quality”, and “Locally sourced” are key consumer concerns, but which will prevail in the long-term? Businesses must understand the differentiators that matter most

What’s changed already?

Home improvements, furnishings, appliances, personal electronics, subscriptions, and new vehicles are just some of the purchases people in the UK have put on hold or cancelled in light of recent events, according to our Qriously survey.

With income security currently hanging in the balance for many, and palpable public concern over how businesses are maintaining the safety of goods, staff, and supply chain personnel, some people are making essential purchases only.

Businesses will want to know how long consumers will be cautious about their purchase decisions. What products and services are most important to people in their daily lives at the moment, and which of them are dispensable? How are people making buying decisions?

To answer questions like these and devise offerings that match up with true consumer needs, businesses must understand how and “where” people are choosing to spend their time. These insights can help you plan your next ad campaign and media partnerships, too.

How do people think they’ll manage their money from now on?

To explore how people are likely to manage their money in the wake of the current health crisis, we asked about their spending and saving intentions.

Of respondents who say they’ve changed their spending habits, females in the 18-34 age group are less inclined to continue spending as they did before the pandemic. This group indicated a stronger desire to save more in future (41%), in comparison to their male peers (17%).

It may be a prudent move by banks or other financial services to increase promotion of products which empower saving behaviours, particularly to those demographics who are expressing the biggest desire for them.

Note: To dive deeper into UK consumers’ personal banking preferences and to find out what different generations of Brits value most in a bank, take a look at our new report. 

Of the respondents who ranked “going shopping” as a top priority for post-lockdown, males in the 18-34 years age group over-indexed for an intention to continue shopping in the same way as before (71%), while females were more likely to patronise local or independent shops than their male peers.

Over a third of all survey respondents (36%) anticipate prioritising “price” as the most important factor in their decision to buy after the pandemic, closely followed by “quality” (30%), then “locally sourced” (27%).

To add further colour to consumers’ values and preferences around shopping, we used Brandwatch Consumer Research to monitor the popular topic of shopping locally, ethically, or sustainably. These are bright spots in the consumer consciousness, creating a lot of positivity in online conversations globally with 41% of emotion-categorized conversation appearing as “joyful”.

An opportunity for all sectors to truly understand what people want

Businesses everywhere must bring the voice of the consumer into decision making throughout the enterprise. Those who do not align their change strategy with consumers risk becoming obsolete.

Brandwatch Qriously provides a unique opportunity to capture fast, reliable, and accurate consumer feedback globally, via the smartphone tech in everyone’s pocket. We’d love to show you how.