Brands ignore experientialism at their peril: 66% of consumers agree immersive experiences are the future

11^th February 2020: With society shifting towards experiences over material goods, demand is increasing for immersive experiences, resulting in technology being used in new and exciting ways for brands to connect with audiences. New research has found that these experiences are the way to consumers’ hearts, with two-thirds (66%) believing that experientialism – where large-scale projections, interactive displays, holograms, virtual reality or augmented reality are used – will become the future of events. This is creating a need for businesses to embrace experientialism, in order to better connect with today’s consumers and future-proof themselves for success.

The European research, commissioned by global technology firm Epson, entitled “The Experiential Future”, highlights how important immersive and experiential elements are for the future of events and experiences, hospitality and leisure – not only for 69% of Millennials, but for older survey respondents too. Almost 7 in 10 Generation-Xers (69%) agree that experience is the future of events, along with 66% of Baby Boomers and 59% of Generation Z.

The findings show a clear financial incentive for businesses to deliver on these expectations – given that 57% of Millennials agree that they would be prepared to pay more for a ticket with an experiential element, followed by 51% of Generation X, 48% of Generation Z and 47% of Baby Boomers.

Experientialism will be crucial for venues and hospitality businesses, not just to attract new consumers, but also to encourage repeat visits. Over two-thirds (65%) of Millennials would revisit an experiential event, as well as two-thirds of Generation X (63%) and over half of Generation Z (57%) and Baby Boomers (56%) – demonstrating that experiential technologies help drive customer engagement for return visits.

“New technologies are drastically changing the way that brands engage, entertain and communicate with their audiences. Our research creates a strong call to action for businesses and attractions to focus on including experiential elements for consumers. Otherwise they risk alienating and losing customers, who could turn to competitor brands and other events in their hunt for superior experiences,” comments Neil Colquhoun, Vice President CISMEA and Professional Displays, Epson Europe B.V.

Research methodology

Arlington Research conducted market research in 26 countries amongst a total respondent base of 9750 adults aged 16-65 who had attended an event or attraction in the last 12 months from a drop-down list. Countries surveyed include UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, Greece, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Poland, Slovenia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Israel, UAE, Morocco. The research is nationally representative of adults aged 16-65 years old in each country surveyed. Age ranges are defined as follows: Generation Z (born between 1994-2003), Millennials (born between 1980-1993), Generation X (born between 1965-1979) and Baby Boomers (born between 1954-1954).