Loading...

Shared experiences

“I’m seeking experiences I can share with others, to enrich my daily life and escape life’s pressures”
Shared experiences

Enjoyable and novel experiences continue to form moments of escapism in consumers’ lives and these experiences are increasingly geared towards sharing.

The recession reminded people to value the simple pleasures of life – to find enjoyment in spending quality time with family and friends, and from other activities that don’t require spending too much money.

Interest in small pleasures continues, but a desire for more intense and meaningful experiences and new sensations is emerging, driven by a more positive economic outlook and a sense of status increasingly derived from spending on experiences rather than possessions.

Online social networks continue to play an ever-more significant role in this area, as individuals’ digital identities become more and more central to their sense of self. Increasingly an experience isn’t meaningful until it is shared – the meaning is in the sharing. Brands that facilitate sharing in innovative ways will gain traction and engagement.

Shared experiences

Key takeaways

Consumers are once again hungry for, and feel able to spend on, exhilarating and unusual experiences which enrich their everyday lives, and provide an antidote to the pressures of modern living.

Now the experience itself is only half of the story. Sharing the good times with your social network is becoming a more fundamental part of the experience itself.

Brands that not only excite and entertain consumers with rich and rewarding experiences, but also facilitate sharing in innovative new ways, will win deep engagement with today’s connected consumers.

Overview of the sub-trends

How is this trend playing out in Ireland/GB?

Relevance in Ireland

…photo-sharing mobile platform Instagram is growing more quickly than Twitter in user numbers, and 23% of those users photograph and share their food as part of a photoblog/culinary diary. #food is one of the most popular hashtags of the Irish Instagram world.

A more positive financial outlook increases consumer likelihood to pay a premium for moments of fun and experimental sensations, and on a more regular basis

Relevance in UK

…consumers lack headspace, and rank energy as the most valuable human resource (above money, time, space and information). Enjoyable experiences that transport a consumer away from their busy schedule and reenergise them are therefore increasingly sought after.

They are also more likely to treat themselves to little luxuries and trips out; 47 million more visits were made to fast casual dining chains in 2014 than in 2011 in the UK.

How dynamic are the sub-trends?

Thought-starters: How could you…?

…Offer consumers more than just a taste experience? Could your product transport a consumer away from the everyday for a moment?

…Incorporate novelty and a playful twist into a product, to engage and surprise a consumer?

…leverage the heritage or the more indulgent aspects of a product to evoke a sense of nostalgia and comfort?