Back in 1930, it was predicted that in the future, working hours would be short and vacations long; this came to be known as the 15 hour-week.

The pace of progress even had Social Psychologists wondering what people would do with so much free time, and the implications that would have for local communities.

Fast-forward to 2020, and everybody everywhere seems busy all the time. To begin with, it is a perception issue; on average, people in developed countries have more leisure time than they used to.

However, the same progress that enabled prosperity and more free time has also ushered in an age of abundance that is behind a sense of perpetual FOMO that seems to affect us all.

In order to get a clearer picture of how people are spending their downtime, we conducted a study with YouGov, and interviewed over 2,000 people from across Great Britain.

Implications for brands

• Exploit new channels with products and services to win consumers where they increasingly choose to spend their downtime, at home.
• Explore mindfulness as a way to facilitate consumers to reconnect with themselves; your audience craves ‘being in the moment’ and are willing to reward brands that facilitate them achieve this balance.
• Create a sense of community to allow increasingly isolated consumers to feel part of something bigger and more meaningful.
• Be creative and give consumers new reasons to leave the house; you’re competing with the home now too, a place that gets more interesting every day.

DOWNTIME ON DEMAND

Visit Missouri’s profile to download the full report.