Over 57 per cent of UK consumers plan to increase their expenditure on leisure activity over the coming months. Holidays, going out and cinema and entertainment are the key areas most likely to benefit, says a new survey, State of the Nation. The video survey, carried out by Vox Pops International, the UK’s leading video research specialists, contains over 25 hours of interview footage with over 150 consumers at ten sites across the UK. Only 14 per cent of the sample expected their expenditure to on leisure activity to fall.
Spend on food and drink was expected to remain unchanged, partly as a result of higher food and drink prices, rather than increased levels of disposable income. Expenditure on technology was neutral, but any rise in spend is most likely to be led by men, with 70 per cent of males expecting to increase their technology spend. DIY expenditure was expected to remain unchanged, and 32 per cent expected to spend more on clothing, a sector also dominated by men. As with leisure, many felt that they’d previously cut back, and now was the time to buy once again and give themselves a ‘treat’.
Says Diane Earnshaw, managing director, Vox Pops International, “If we get a feel good factor bounce this year, it looks most likely to benefit the leisure sector. Consumers obviously feel that they’ve been tightening their belts enough, and it’s time to let them out a few notches. But rather than buying a new belt, they are more likely to have a meal out, see a film or get away from it all with a leisure break. The principal aim seems to be pleasure, which is very understandable, as those little luxuries have very often been the first to go.”
These and a wide range of other findings come from the latest Vox Pops International State of the Nation survey. Key consumer expenditure areas probed include spending on food and drink, technology, leisure, health and beauty, home and DIY, and clothing. These are then available for companies to buy and download from a specially created website at stateofthenation.tv. Companies can either purchase edited videos on specific topic areas at £150 a selection or individual quotations at £40 per selection.
Tatiana Rokou - Friday, April 09, 2010