Why do consumers still love restaurants, pubs and bars? What is it that makes hospitality special? Our exclusive research in partnership with UK Hospitality and CGA by NIQ reveals all.
Despite many consumers tightening their purse strings, hospitality still has a vital role to play in the social lives of Britain’s consumers. But what is it about hospitality that consumers really and truly value?
This exclusive consumer research of 5,000 GB consumers, conducted in partnership with UK Hospitality and CGA by NIQ , reveals what aspects of the industry consumers love the most; from why people choose to go out instead of staying in, to what aspects of a pub, bar or restaurant’s offering would keep making them come back for more.
What's in the report?
- Why hospitality matters to consumers – top 5 reasons
- Why consumers choose to go out instead of staying in
- The top factors that would make consumers return to a pub, bar or restaurant
- Which consumers are still engaging regularly with hospitality despite cost pressures
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Loyalty schemes in hospitality: What top CEOs think
Loyalty is currently a hot topic in the hospitality industry but there remains a lot of confusion. What do consumers mean when they say they are loyal to on-trade brands? Is it the same as for other retail brands? How can the sector create and maintain customer loyalty? Does it genuinely add value to the bottom line – or does it really just boil down to discounting? To answer these – and more – questions, we gathered eight of the industry’s top operators for a chat about all things loyalty.
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Hospitality Tech Assessment: Improving the guest experience & driving loyalty
Answer a few short questions to identify how well your tech helps you to deliver incredible guest experiences that keep your customers coming back time and time again. At the end you’ll get personalised guidance which explains how you can leverage your customer data to offer personalised customer experiences.
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Influence, loyalty and technology: Key guest trends from 2023
An in-depth end-of-year review of the key findings from our 2023 GO Technology consumer research series
Consumer expectations of the pubs, bars and restaurants they visit are ever-changing, and 2023 has proven to be no exception to the rule. This year, consumers have been quick to change their behaviours to match the tightening of budgets brought on by the cost-of-living crisis, and as more and more consumers become digital natives, the shift towards more digital-led touchpoints has continued to grow.
In this in-depth review of our 2023 consumer research series, we explore the three key themes identified from our surveys of 5,000 hospitality consumers; from the influential consumers who make the decisions on where to eat and drink, to when guests prefer digital touchpoints to human interaction during the customer journey, and how guest loyalty has changed as a result of the cost of living crisis.
Download this report to discover:
- 2023’s key hospitality consumer trends
- What factors most influence consumers’ decisions on when and where to go out to eat and drink
- What makes consumers loyal to a brand or venue
- How technology can help enhance the guest experience
Explore our 2023 consumer research in full
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The New Loyalty Landscape: How the cost-of-living crisis impacts hospitality
Exclusive consumer research into guest loyalty towards hospitality brands, and how this has been affected by the rising cost of living
Loyal customers are an incredibly valuable asset for any hospitality business, providing a lucrative source of repeat business and resulting revenue as well as brand advocacy that entices new guests in through your doors.
Maintaining a loyal customer-base has always been a key objective for operators, however amidst a cost-of-living crisis resulting in tighter consumer budgets, the criteria leading to a customer becoming, and remaining, loyal have changed. How does loyalty differ between generations? And what role do loyalty schemes play in all of this?
Produced in partnership with CGA by NIQ, we surveyed 5,000 GB hospitality consumers to find the answers.
What's in the report?
- What makes, and breaks, loyalty?
- Differences in loyalty between generations
- How guest loyalty to hospitality has changed as a result of the cost-of-living crisis
- The role loyalty schemes play in maintaining guests’ loyalty to hospitality brands
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In today’s hyper-connected, always-on world, going online for many consumers is their first (and only) port of call when searching for pubs, bars and restaurants to visit.
Social media has evolved from a place to keep in contact with friends and family, to an environment where people can also follow and engage with their favourite brands, and search engines have overwhelmingly become the place consumers to go find information about products and services. In more recent years, these platforms have also become the go-to place for customers to make bookings.
But how do customers use social media platforms and search engines to find hospitality venues? What are they looking for? How do they want to book? And more importantly, where is their behaviour headed in the future?
In our latest GO Technology research report, produced in association with hospitality insights company, CGA, and social bookings experts Mozrest, we discovered how 5,000 consumers are using social media and search engines. Download the report to discover how they’re engaging with their favourite hospitality brands on these platforms and the massive opportunities for savvy operators and marketers to leverage Google and social media to boost bookings and generate more revenue – not just now, but in the future.
Why should I download this report?
You’ll discover…
- Key social media statistics for 2022 that affect the UK hospitality industry
- How to leverage direct bookings through Facebook, Instagram and Google Reservations
- How people are searching for venues using Google and virtual assistants like Alexa
- The importance of social media channels used by 18 to 24-year-olds such as Snapchat and TikTok
- Ideas for how to use social media to increase table bookings
Download the full report to discover the future of bookings.
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People vs Tech: What guests want in 2023
Exclusive research into hospitality consumer attitudes towards technology as part of the overall guest experience
The role of technology in hospitality is evolving – not only are guests used to seeing technology in-venue, they now expect it to be present. But the importance of human connection for which the hospitality industry is known and loved so well, is not to be underestimated.
Produced in partnership with CGA by NielsenIQ, we asked 5,000 UK hospitality consumers to find out their views on technology in hospitality.
With 55% of those surveyed believing that a balance between technology and a human touch delivers the best hospitality experiences, ensuring you’re meeting the expectations of ever-increasingly digitally-savvy guests, will be key for success now, and in the future.
What's in the report?
- When guests prefer to use technology versus interacting with staff
- How guest preferences change at different stages of the customer journey
- Average spend by tech natives versus those who prefer a human touch
- How attitudes to tech may develop over time
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Hospitality's hidden influencers: Discover the real decision-makers and how they choose where to eat and drink
Exclusive consumer research into factors that influence guests when choosing where to eat and drink out
As the cost-of-living crisis continues to squeeze consumer spending and budgets are more closely scrutinised, many guests are opting to leave the decision-making process for which venue to visit, to someone they trust.
These trusted ‘influencer’ consumers represent a significant opportunity for hospitality businesses able to convert them from regular guests into brand champions. But who are these ‘influencers’? What are their hospitality habits? And what do they look for when choosing a venue to visit for their friends, families and networks?
Produced in partnership with CGA by NielsenIQ and DataHawks, we surveyed 5,000 UK hospitality consumers to find out.
What's in the report?
- Who are the ‘influencers’, and how often do they eat/drink out?
- Where do guests get their knowledge from when choosing a venue to visit?
- The role of trust and recommendations in influencing guest behaviour
- The key influences behind consumers’ decision-making
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Consumer Research: What Guests Want From Hotels in 2023
2023 is set to be another bumper year for the staycation, with 81% of British hotel guests looking to stay at a UK hotel in 2023, as financial pressures deter international travel and habits formed during the pandemic continue to draw consumers to making their holiday plans within the UK rather than travelling abroad.
But what are guests looking for when booking accommodation? How are they finding it? And what do they expect during their stay?
In our latest GO Technology research report, produced in partnership with hospitality insights firm CGA by NielsenIQ, we surveyed 2,000 hotel guests who have stayed in UK hotels and accommodation in the past six months to find the answers!
Download the full report to discover:
- How far reviews go when influencing guests’ decisions
- The trustworthiness of different booking methods
- Top discovery tools guests use to find accommodation to book
- Guest demand for F&B facilities and room service
- The tech solutions guests want to see to make their stay seamless
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Consumer Research: What Guests Want From Hotels in 2023
Exclusive consumer research into trends, opportunities and challenges for UK hotels
With the cost-of-living crisis reducing disposable income, consumers are being much more careful with how they spend their money, especially when it comes to extras such as holidays and overnight stays.
Figures point towards another staycation boom for the UK hospitality industry this year, as consumers look to stay closer to home. But what sort of accommodation are they looking to book? How are they booking? And what do they want from their stay at a hotel?
In partnership with CGA NielsenIQ, we surveyed 2,000 hotel visitors to find out.
What's in the report?
- How much will reviews influence guests’ decisions on where to stay?
- Which booking methods do guests trust the most?
- Where will guests go to to find hotels to book?
- What is the demand for F&B facilities and room service?
- How can hoteliers increase revenues and deliver a seamless guest experience during the staycation boom?
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From cash, to card, to ‘just walk out’ technology, consumers have more payment methods available to them than ever before when it comes to settling the bill.
With the desire for a quick, convenient journey high on the list of priorities for many customers visiting hospitality venues, cash has increasingly taken a back seat compared to card payments; and with newer technologies such as digital wallets and wearables gaining popularity amongst younger consumers, hospitality operators must ensure they’re keeping up with the times to ensure they don’t miss out on business from these new-tech adopters.
In the latest report in our GO Technology consumer research series, conducted together with CGA by NielsenIQ and in partnership with payments provider PayPal, we explore how consumers prefer to pay for food and drink when visiting hospitality venues, the differing trends between sectors and demographics, and the technology innovations driving change within the payment space.
Why should I download this report?
- Discover key insights into how consumers prefer to pay when visiting hospitality venues, including they use.
- Uncover five key cash, card and mobile spending trends.
- Learn how payment behaviours differ between sectors.
- Discover the new payment technologies gaining popularity amongst consumers.
Download the full report to discover these insights and more!
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The Generation Gap – personalisation and expectations of different generations
Personalisation is becoming increasingly more important for hospitality venues to get right. Our recent GO Technology research report into consumer views on personalisation in hospitality revealed that 80% of consumers are now interested in some form of personalisation from the pubs, bars and restaurants they visit, presenting hospitality with a variety of opportunities to drive further engagement and loyalty from their customers.
But how do these expectations differ between different groups of consumers? Are there any points of similarity? As with differences between the genders, interest in personalisation can vary widely with age.
Our findings highlighted some notable differences in both interest in receiving personalised experiences, and what forms they’d like these personalised experiences to take, particularly between the younger generation (18-24) and older consumers (55+).
The research also discovered how different generations prefer to share data with the brands they engage with, providing some useful food for thought for savvy operators looking to enhance their customer journey with personalisation!
Discover the differences in expectations from personalisation between generations.
