Radio Bite: Bounce Back

Radio is a powerful and often underused platform for advertisers. During these unprecedented times, our Radio Bites series will give compelling reasons for brands to continue to be heard on the airwaves and why consumers will be listening.

According to our new research, a bounce-back in consumer spending can be expected as lockdown relaxes. The new report explores how radio affects the decision-making across different groups of listeners, and what audiences are most keen to spend on. 

Audiences highlighted activities they have been missing during lockdown, including eating out at restaurants, socialising in pubs and travelling both in the UK and abroad, but when asked if they will be spending more or less than before lockdown people’s priorities changed significantly.

More than half of respondents (53%) are looking forward to spending money on going to restaurants, but when asked how much they would be spending compared to pre-lockdown, the predicted net increase in spending on restaurants (4%) was much lower than on domestic travel (31%) and DIY & gardening (19%). This suggests a change in attitude towards spending and potentially a change in priorities.

Looking at the three groups from our previous research, Staying connected During the COVID-19 Crisis, it is clear that the Newly Working From Home (maybe the most financially stable) are intending to spend more of their money on self-sufficiency. Spending on furniture and technology possibly expecting to be working from home more often in the future, and on DIY, beauty products and gardening.

This tells us that the WFH group, in particular, are looking at spending more time at home. Radio plays an important role in purchase decisions, particularly this group. We know from previous research the WFH group have increased their listening during lockdown and this additional exposure seems to have made them even more receptive to and influenced by radio advertising than the other groups. Now is the perfect time to think of how radio advertising can help your brand.