Pub of the Future: Wi-Fi crucial for attracting more young people, finds report

18-Aug-2013 - Last updated on 26-Apr-2021 at 17:10 GMT

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In Glasgow, 17 per cent said they would rather have a new local supermarket in the area than a local pub

A report into the use of technology and marketing in pubs has found that members of ‘Generation Y’ are 67 per cent more likely than their elders to choose a pub offering Wi-Fi, yet the exact same percentage of venues still don’t offer any connectivity.

The ‘Pub of the Future’ report, developed by Casio’s Business Solutions Division in partnership with the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) and Punch Taverns, surveyed over 2,000 UK consumers about what key factors influence them to visit their local.

“It’s clear that pubs aren’t doing enough to stay relevant to the crucial 16-24 age group,” said Casio’s senior production manager Guy Boxall. “To secure its long-term future, the industry needs to make a shift – and this research suggests that will be driven by digital trends."

In addition to wanting Wi-Fi services, young people are 70 per cent more likely to select a pub that offers individual discounts and offers tailored to them. Yet 78 per cent of pubs do not offer individually-tailored discounts; three-quarters do not provide customer loyalty schemes; and 91 per cent do not offer personalised digital marketing communications.

Untouched demographic

Technology and personalised marketing communications were both clearly sounded out by the report out as important future tools. When asked how the pub will have changed ten years from now, 21 per cent of those aged between 18 and 30 think pubs will have embraced improved loyalty schemes for local people and 29 per cent believe customers will be able to order products digitally from their table.

“To the young people of today, online social currency converts into real-world social activities,” added Boxall. “By tapping into this untouched digital demographic, pubs could soon see a noticeable boost to their profits.”

The further north the survey was conducted, the gloomier the future of the pub looked. According to the report, around a quarter of residents in Edinburgh (28 per cent), Liverpool (26 per cent) and Glasgow (25 per cent) do not go to their local pubs.

Regional breakdown

In Glasgow, 17 per cent would rather have a new local supermarket in the area than a local pub. In Liverpool and Newcastle, 47 per cent are worried that pubs could soon become a thing of the past.

But the North East remains the most loyal region to its pubs. In Newcastle, 19 per cent of the population refer to the pub as ‘the social centre for the community’, and 49 per cent would be ‘upset’ if their local pub were to close.

The Pub of the Future survey sampled 2,042 UK consumers via an online questionnaire in July 2013.