The pub and nights out with friends currently top the list of most anticipated events when the lockdown lifts, followed by live events and beauty therapy, according to new research.
The data, from Kantar, was collected between the first week of the lockdown and the first week of May, and demonstrates how consumer desire to engage in activities has shifted over the period.
By using insights like these, brands can stay informed about consumer attitudes and behaviour, enabling them to adapt their communications and engagement efforts accordingly as we emerge from lockdown.
Andrew Nelson is Client Director, Social Media Insight, at Kantar: “This data, pulled from social media, offers brands and businesses critical insight into what consumer behaviour might look like as lockdown eases here in the UK. We ranked the activities consumers are most looking forward to and drew comparisons between the start of lockdown and earlier this month. We can see that six weeks into the lockdown, people are most looking forward to going to the pub, nights out with friends and live events, proving that above all, people miss people. Social mentions of looking forward to going to the pub have increased an enormous 3064% since lockdown began.
“We’re now also tracking search behaviour for each activity to support our social data. In the UK, search interest in outdoor pursuits such as cycling and fishing is higher in recent weeks than at any time across the last five years. By using these insights and trends to keep a pulse on the attitudes and behaviours of consumers, brands and businesses will be well placed to both continue communicating with their audiences and engage with them around the activities they’re craving as we emerge from the lockdown.”
Source: Global English language social media mentions in connection with what people are looking forward to after Covid-19/quarantine/coronavirus, 24 March – 4 May 2020.
The data was gathered from social media comments and conversations within which people are discussing what they are looking forward to doing after COVID-19, with a focus on UK and global English speaking social media users.
Kantar has also been tracking UK search data (e.g. searching online for cycling paths) as a point of comparison.