Research finds rises in smart speakers, surge in the use of audiobooks and the future of film being redefined by Disney.
Kids Insights has today (November 12) revealed its latest study into the offline lives of kids – from how they spend their time, to what they enjoy doing and what they are currently consuming.
The new Recreation Report is predominantly based on the results of surveying more than 5,000 children (in each country) between July and September 2020 across Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, UK and the US.
A key finding from the UK Recreation Report is the increased profitability of smart speakers in the kids market. Although utilised for a range of hobbies – including listening to music (1st), chatting (6th) and even online shopping (7th) – for some kids with speech difficulties, problems arise regarding the device’s accessibility.
Working with the Down Syndrome Society, Google collected one million voice samples to be implemented into the brand’s voice recognition algorithm and improve the AI ‘Google Assistant’. Taking action to sustain accessibility and address issues can significantly improve a brand’s reputability and therefore drive sales and engagement.
In Spain, Audible has announced its new service for Spanish speaking customers, which allows users to listen to hours of content made available in Spanish. The number of tweens and teens in Spain reporting to use audiobooks has grown by 42% since August, suggesting this generation of kids are utilising newer technology for traditional pastimes.
The growing popularity of digital reading formats suggests scope for huge growth in this area, illustrating the opportunity for audio platforms to increase their child-friendly libraries.
Digital brands extending into an offline space is a key finding from the Italian report. Me Contro Te currently ranks as the second favourite YouTuber among 3-12s in Italy, as well as being the second most recently watched channel.
In collaboration with clothing brand Liu Jo, Me Contro Te has released a collection of sneakers for fans of the duo, likely to resonate with the audience who are +90% more likely to buy clothing relating to their favourite YouTubers. This illustrates how having influencers take their brands offline can open wider possibilities of collaboration into mainstream media.
The future of film resonated in the French Recreation Report.
Disney is shifting the paradigm by revealing that the new Pixar film Soul will release first on Disney+, in a move which has upset European cinemas, especially at a time where ticket sales are more pivotal than ever to keep businesses afloat.
In France, Disney+ is already the fifth most popular VOD platform among 6-9s, with over one in 10 streaming their favourite Disney shows and films directly to their homes. It’s also true that kids tend to multi-task while watching TV in their homes – 30% of 6-9s play with toys, something that Disney will surely be aware of as it releases merchandise alongside the arrival of Soul.
For more information on Kids Insights and to discover more about kids’ ecosystems – their attitudes, behaviours and consumptions – and what these real-time trends mean for your business, head to: www.kidsinsights.com/freereport
