Home Sweet Home

As a nation we’re increasingly spending more of our leisure time at home. In fact, 80% of us say it is as one of our preferred past-times (Deloitte, 2019).

Technology has been a key catalyst for this, driving our consumption of video, gaming and, more recently, fitness subscriptions:

· 21% households now subscribe to 2 or more SVOD services

· Xbox Game Pass subscribers doubling every quarter

· justeat.com delivered over 120m takeaways in 2019

· Over 500,000 subscribe to the premium bicycling streaming service, Peloton

Offering consumers at home leisure rewards is not only a powerful incentive, but can be a very cost effective to run a promotion with many companies offering trial subscriptions and gift cards at a fraction of their face value.

So what's hot in the world of at home leisure. Here are our top 5:

TV Subscriptions

For 94% of us TV is one of our favourite past times.

Free Sky Movies and trial subscriptions packages, such as Now TV, are often the go-to for brands, but here are some alternatives:

Disney Plus - launching in the UK on 27th March. Disney Classics, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic. Perfect for family brands, or for the sci-fi / superhero fans out there.

BritBox - classic BBC and ITV box dramas, films and documentaries. A great fit for iconic British brands.

Starzplay – an Amazon Prime add-on. High quality TV box sets. Worth getting just for Stephen King’s and JJ Abram’s Castle Rock series.

Gaming

In 2018 over 37.3m people played games in the UK, and like TV, the trend is definitely moving to a subscription model.

Xbox Game Pass - £10 a month (including Xbox Live) to access over 100 games, including AAA releases from Microsoft Studios at launch.

PlayStation Now – similar to Xbox Game Pass provides access to PlayStation’s back catalogue of first-party games as well as a range of third-party titles. Available as 1 month, 3 month and annual subscriptions.

Google Stadia – having just moved out of its Beta phase Google Stadia allows you to stream on devices including Android phones, laptops, tablets and TVs via Chromacast Ultra. Includes releases such as Mortal Kombat 11 and Destiny 2. The one to watch.

Fitness

Think Netflix for fitness. Now there’s no need to for expensive gym memberships that you don’t use. You can now access some of the world’s best trainers and take part in classes all from the comfort of your own home.

Fiit - Fiit provides access to many of the best trainers in the country –– for video-led workouts that can be completed in your bedroom and beyond. There are three categories to choose from – cardio, strength and rebalance, which includes yoga, pilates, mobility and breath work. Premium membership £10 a month.

GymCube - A virtual take on the fitness class, GymCube is an online database of more than 700 do-at-home workout videos, plus regular sessions you can stream live.

Peloton – think spin classes at home. Peleton doesn’t come cheap at £1,990 for their basics package, but that does include the bike. For those not into lycra, they also offer a Peloton Studio App for £12.99 a month offering running, yoga, meditation and strength classes.

Reading

Over 69% say reading is one of our favourite ways to spend our at home leisure time.

Publisher offers – if you’re looking to run a book promotion, then often going direct to a publisher with a brief can be an effective way of delivering a high value premium, at a low cost per reward. Plus, there’s still something nice about receiving a physical book.

Kindle Unlimited - For a monthly fee you get unlimited access to an amazing catalogue of eBooks and Audio Books. Perfect if you’re looking to appeal to a broad audience.

reposed.co – reposed.co is just one of the latest specialist subscription-based book clubs. For a monthly fee you get a gift box with the latest contemporary reads along with gourmet chocolates, relaxing teas and beauty products, for the perfect night in.

Dining in

It’s a bit of cliché, but dining in is definitely the new dining out. In fact, the likes of justeat, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo have created a £3.6bn industry. That’s over 600 million deliveries a year.

Home delivery services – all the main players offer gift card and credit solutions that can be utilised for promotions. You do need to consider geographical coverage as some, like Uber Eats, have a slightly more urban biased.

Brand partnerships – the big takeaway brands, such as Dominos and Papa Johns, are pushing brand partnerships to ensure they’re in people’s regular takeaway repertoire.

Dining subscriptions – from artisan cheese, to pork scratchings, to craft beer, you can be sure there’s a subscription service that does it. These can be a great opportunity for brands looking for complimentary brand partners.

The demand for in-home leisure activities is booming and provides rich territory for promotions and brand activations. They can also be extremely cost effective as most partners are looking for channels to drive trial and acquisition.