What Does the Future of Leisure Spending Look Like in a Digital-First World?

When you step out into a shopping center or even to an event, it can seem as though you are living in the future. People are able to pay for things with the flick of a wristwatch and are able to book entire holidays on their phone.

Suffice it to say, the digital world has taken over how most people do things, and as such, it is impacting how people do everything from scheduling their time with their friends to doing their jobs, and how they spend their money.

As tech continues to dominate and with physical currency becoming obsolete, what does the future of digital spending look like?

Immersive Experiences

In the film WALLE, humans are seen to be playing digital golf, tennis, and all manner of other sports. It seems that as the digital world becomes more immersive, more people are likely to spend their leisure money on virtual alternatives to real games and sports. This includes everything from playing online football to making it easier to play online pokies with Jackpot City Casino, while feeling like you are in a real-world casino. These indicators don’t signal the end of physical activity, just that it is changing and syncing with virtual and augmented reality.

Personalization

Of course, a core part of the digital world is the personalization factor, and leisure is now better matched to how well it lines up with someone’s preferences. Engines such as AI companions, pricing models, and so on are likely to have an enormous influence on how people spend their free time and money, and, as the leisure world meets the digital one, personalized experiences will become more mainstream and therefore, more affordable.

Subscriptions!

It is predicted that even in home leisure systems, customers will be likely to get access to multiple engagement services, bundling leisure categories into different groups, such as digital travel, digital gaming, digital group activities, and so on. This may push companies to implement tiered access for people to access exclusive parts of each membership, potentially with payment as a means of accessing the next level of travel or experience.

Leisure and Self-Improvement

It should be noted that digital-based leisure isn’t about escape, and many people are using these programs to increase their productivity, their wellness, and their personal growth. So, it makes sense that with leisure becoming more digital, people will be more likely to spend more on things like language apps, travel apps, and experiences, as well as using these spaces to explore their own wellbeing and mental health.

Socially Connected Leisure

Humans are social, and this shows in the stats. Even in a completely digital world, social media ranks as the highest category of websites that are visited, and so, it seems that in the world of digital interactions, social connection will remain the key drivers. So, it is predicted that friends and family members from around the world will be more likely to chip in to go on digital day trips together, as well as spend money on co-watching features and engage in other social activities.