A brand new research by United Expertise Company IQ, SightX, and Commune revealed that 96% of shoppers will attend a stay occasion in a roundabout way as soon as it’s absolutely protected to take action. 3 in 4 are most excited to return to sporting occasions, live shows, and film theaters.
United Expertise Company, SightX, and Commune carried out a quantitative research amongst 1,000 U.S. shoppers from ages 18 to 54—a bunch spanning greater than 150 million in dimension—to higher grasp the inhabitants’s leisure consumption patterns throughout COVID-19. The discoveries from the research will enable the leisure trade to curate occasions that may higher coexist bodily and just about.
The research revealed that buyers have tailored to digital occasions over the past 16 months. Now that in-person occasions are returning, the expectation for innovation for digital occasions is greater. The manufacturing and intimacy which might be skilled throughout a stay occasion aren’t the identical, and shoppers need these experiences to be as memorable to at least one one other as doable.
“Mix the actual world with the digital world to reinforce the expertise,” says one respondent. “This could possibly be all the pieces from deepening the expertise with social media to augmented actuality/digital actuality.”
Along with the heightened innovation and choices for digital experiences, shoppers additionally anticipate to work together with expertise extra deeply. In response to the research, the primary purpose that buyers adopted a star or influencer on social media in the course of the pandemic was as a result of it motivated them. This celebrity-fan relationship additionally incrased the expectations for group constructing. “1 in 5 say celebrities/influencers might want to join their followers/deliver collectively a group,” reads the survey.
The within glimpses of celebrities’ lives on social media highlighted a realization for shoppers—1 in 5 have acknowledged that celebrities and influencers aren’t that completely different from them. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram gave stars like Jason Derulo and Leslie Jordan a device to share engaging tales, turn out to be extra relatable, and construct an engaged group. These celebrities have opened the door to their lives, however followers and customers on social media predict extra:
- 1 in 4 have turn out to be extra interested by on a regular basis moments from celebrities/influencers
- 1 in 5 have felt nearer to celebrities/influencers throughout COVID-19
- 1 in 3 imagine celebrities/influencers will have to be extra clear with their followers
- 1 in 4 assume celebrities/influencers will have to be extra accessible to their followers
With the expansive progress of social media in the course of the course of the pandemic, the research claims 49% intend to make use of social media after COVID-19 than they did earlier than the pandemic. Moreover, social media will likely be extra vital post-pandemic than it was pre-pandemic.
“I used social media for nearly all the pieces earlier than COVID-19, however over the previous yr, it made life extra bearable and allowed me a ‘digital’ life that finally crosses over into ‘actual life,’” stated one survey participant.
The research additionally highlights Max Greenfield and Anthony Hopkins’ social media progress in the course of the pandemic. Greenfield’s social media following grew by 85% on account of his parenting content material. He shared hysterical movies of him trying to assist his preteen daughter together with her homeschool assignments. 83-year-old Hopkins’ social media following grew by 80% as a result of he showcased off his quirky persona—a stark distinction from his days portraying Hannibal Lecter. He joined TikTok and posted a video doing the viral “Toosie Slide” problem.
This explosive social media progress is not going to inhibit the need or must attend stay reveals. The research discovered that the pandemic has made stay occasions extra significant and sought-after. Moreover, 1 in 4 will reduce on spending in different areas to attend extra stay occasions.
Dangerous Bunny’s El Último Tour Del Mundo and Travis Scott’s Astroworld offered out in record-breaking instances. “For a inhabitants looking for nearer connections to the leisure and expertise they love, maybe being current bodily at a stay occasion is the purest expression of the intersection of intimacy and group they want,” states the survey.
Newer types of stay occasions like esports and podcast tapings have turn out to be more and more extra in style in a panorama the place sporting occasions, live shows, and films at theaters are the pillars of stay leisure. The others listed within the survey are cultural festivals (meals, drinks, artwork), comedy reveals, music and festivals.
“Nothing can beat a stay present with hundreds of different folks,” acknowledged one respondent. “It’s the power and the uncooked emotion you get from a stay live performance that may’t get replaced.”
Shoppers need group and sensorial advantages to be prioritized for stay occasions. 1 in 4 would go to a stay occasion in-person to satisfy new folks. 1 in 5 would go to a stay occasion to have a extra multi-sensory expertise. Whereas digital occasions haven’t changed what “regular” is for shoppers, they are going to be extra supplemental to stay occasions sooner or later.
“I can’t wait to go to live shows once more to really feel the bass of the loudspeakers in my chest, drink with mates, and listen to everybody cheering and singing,” stated one participant.
Shoppers don’t intend to cease attending digital occasions. Actually, 88% who participated in a digital occasion throughout COVID-19 will proceed when in-person occasions return. These digital occasions have the advantages of reaching audiences that aren’t capable of attend in-person and supply shoppers with the choice of attending an occasion from the consolation of their very own residence. UTA’s David Zedeck stated that livestreaming will likely be a “virtual balcony,” and plenty of firms, like Spotify and Warner Music Group, have invested in digital music experiences.
“I feel we’ll see considerably extra digital occasions sooner or later,” acknowledged one respondent. “There was by no means such a necessity for them earlier than, however now that individuals have seen the profit, I can think about a future the place it’s extra frequent.”
Music festivals, gaming, and music performances are essentially the most in-demand digital experiences. Regardless that one will be capable of attend an occasion in-person, not less than 50% of them will proceed attending occasions just about. Gen-Z are the probably to attend music and gaming occasions just about. Their digital attendance desire is for plenty of causes:
- To keep away from crowds
- To expertise it comfortably
- To expertise an occasion I might not have entry to in my area
- To spend much less cash than going in-person
- To discover an occasion I’m casually interested by
Forms of digital occasions shoppers plan to attend post-COVID-19.
“I want to see digital choices for extra occasions post-pandemic,” stated one participant. “COVID-19 made me rethink accessibility and I hope organizers have realized how a lot wider their audiences could be with out bodily or geographic limitations.”
Since right this moment’s followers aren’t happy with being passive shoppers, a key facet in digital occasions is the interactivity amongst the contributors and hosts. This stay and energetic interplay wouldn’t occur throughout a stay occasion. Followers are rather more interested by being energetic in a chat throughout a digital occasion, and 1 in 5 would select to attend a digital occasion post-pandemic in an effort to actively have interaction with the stay occasion (like take part in a chat, vote, and so forth).
“My favourite half about digital occasions is how simple it’s to work together with the artists,” says one participant. “They typically take tune ideas, which might in all probability by no means occur to the identical extent at a live performance.”
The pandemic has proven us that the bodily and digital worlds are nearer to at least one one other than ever earlier than. It’s as much as celebrities, promoters, venues, and the wish to innovate and make each their experiences as unforgettable on-line as they’d in-person.
“As ‘real-life’ reemerges, shoppers are roundly rejecting a binary selection between digital and stay leisure,” stated Joe Kessler, International Head of United Expertise Company IQ. “Very similar to hybrid work, shoppers are demanding a ‘better of each worlds’ strategy to their leisure decisions. Shoppers are captivated with returning to stay experiences, however additionally they are unwilling to surrender the improved digital experiences that helped get them by the pandemic. Those that see a zero-sum recreation are lacking the ample alternatives forward when you take heed to shoppers and their more and more discerning expectations for each digital and IRL leisure.”