The Night In - Ireland - February 2021

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Key issues
Issues covered in this Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
COVID-19 boosts night-in activities
Figure 1: Expected impact of COVID-19 on the night in, short, medium and long term, 19 February 2021
Strong desire for a night out
Figure 2: Activities consumers are most looking forward to after social distancing measures are relaxed, IoI, February 2021
Consumer finances healthy despite lockdown
Figure 3: How consumers expect their personal financial situation to change in the next 12 months, NI and RoI, January 2021
Work hour recovery might dampen night-in activities
Figure 4: Average work hours per week, RoI, Q1 2015-Q3 2020
Figure 5: Activities consumers struggle to find time for during a work day, NI and RoI, August 2020
Online shopping as a leisure activity increases due to COVID-19
Companies, innovations and brands
The consumer
TV viewing (both live and streamed) big winners
Figure 6: Types of activities engaged as part of a night-in during the last month, NI and RoI, January 2021
Figure 7: If consumers are spending more or less time on night in activities compared to 12 months ago, NI and RoI, January 2021
COVID-19 and winter months boosting in-home activities
Figure 8: Agreement with statements relating to nights in, NI and RoI, January 2021
What we think
THE MARKET – KEY TAKEAWAYS 
COVID-19 boost night-in activities
Strong desire for a night out
Consumer finances healthy despite lockdown
Work hour recovery might dampen night-in activities
Online shopping as a leisure activity increases due to COVID-19
MARKET DRIVERS
Short-, medium- and long-term impact on the industry
Figure 9: Expected impact of COVID-19 on the night in, short, medium and long term, 19 February 2021
COVID-19 keeping most entertainment at home in 2020-21
Figure 10: How worried consumers are about the risk of being exposed to COVID-19, IoI, March 2020-February 2021
Figure 11: Agreement with statements relating to grocery shopping and COVID-19, IoI, March 2020-February 2021
Lockdown causing pent-up demand for out-of-home activities
Figure 12: Activities consumers are most looking forward to after social distancing measures are relaxed, IoI, February 2021
Consumer finances healthy despite lockdown
Figure 13: How consumers rate their current personal financial situation, NI and RoI, November 2018-January 2021
Figure 14: How consumers expect their personal financial situation to change in the next 12 months, NI and RoI, January 2021
Figure 15: Agreement with the statement “I am cutting back on non-essential spending”, NI and RoI, February 2021
Work hours recovering
Figure 16: Average work hours per week, RoI, Q1 2015-Q3 2020
Figure 17: Average work hours per week, NI, 2015-20
Commute time reduced during lockdown, but consumers still feel they have little free time
Figure 18: Length of time consumers spend travelling to work before and during COVID-19, Ni and RoI, August 2020
Figure 19: Activities consumers struggle to find time for during a work day, NI and RoI, August 2020
Online shopping as a leisure activity increases due to COVID-19
Figure 20: Estimated online and mobile retail expenditure, IoI, NI and RoI, 2015-20
INNOVATIONS – KEY TAKEAWAYS
Streaming services grow in popularity
Restaurants think of innovative ways to serve consumers
Consumers still crave the bar experience during nights in
WHO’S INNOVATING?
Streaming services performing at an all-time high
Prepared meal launches are declining
Figure 21: Number of new product launches in prepared meals, UK and Ireland, 2016-20
Restaurants get creative to support customers
Figure 22: Home by Nico Cooking The Hebrides
Figure 23: Facebook post of Cyprus Avenue announcing a competition to celebrate the launch of its new Cornershop website
Decline in NPD for alcohol between 2019-20
Figure 24: New alcohol product launches, by top five sub-category, UK and Ireland, 2016-20
Figure 25: Picture from the Hatfield House Facebook page, October 2020
THE CONSUMER – KEY TAKEAWAYS
TV viewing (both live and streamed) big winners
COVID-19 and winter months boosting in-home activities
TYPES OF NIGHT-IN ACTIVITIES 
Watching TV key night in activity 
Figure 26: Types of activities engaged as part of a night-in during the last month, NI and RoI, January 2021
COVID-19 has boosted overall engagement in night-in activities
Figure 27: If consumers are spending more or less time on night in activities compared to 12 months ago, NI and RoI, January 2021
COVID-19 sees half of Irish consumers stream more
Figure 28: Consumers who have watched live TV or streaming/ on-demand as part of a night-in during the last month, by gender, NI and RoI, January 2021
Figure 29: If consumers are watching video streaming services (eg Netflix, Amazon Prime Video) more, less or the same amount due to COVID-19, IoI, December 2020
Women more likely to spend time with their children
Figure 30: Consumers who have spent time with their children as part of a night-in during the last month, by gender, NI and RoI, January 2021
Drinking more likely to occur at the weekend
Figure 31: Consumers who have had a drink by themselves or with a friend/relative as part of a night in during the last month, by age group, NI and RoI, January 2021
Figure 32: How consumers’ alcohol (for home consumption) habits compared to their usual spending habits during COVID-19, IoI, April-November 2020
NIGHT-IN BEHAVIOURS
Most spending time at home
Figure 33: Agreement with statements relating to nights in, NI and RoI, January 2021
Winter months more likely to keep mature consumers at home
Figure 34: Agreement with the statement “I’m more likely to have more nights in during the winter months as opposed to summer months”, by age group, NI and RoI, January 2021
Figure 35: Actual and projected population (%) for NI, by age, 2017 and 2041
Figure 36: Actual and projected population (%) for RoI, by age, 2017 and 2046
RoI consumers more likely to stay in for financial reasons
Figure 37: Agreement with statements relating to COVID-19 and finances, NI and RoI, February 2021
Almost six in 10 spending more on night-in snacks and treats
Figure 38: Agreement with the statement “COVID-19/coronavirus has made me more likely to spend more on treats/snacks on a night in”, by socio-economic group, NI and RoI, January 2021
Figure 39: New product launches in the snack, sugar confectionary and chocolate confectionary sectors, UK and Ireland, 2015-20
NI consumers more likely to use ready-made party foods
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION 
Generational cohort definitions
Abbreviations