According to a new report released from Chargifi, a market leader in the cloud management of wireless charging technology, the hospitality industry has a monumental opportunity to benefit from consumers’ insatiable desire to stay connected. Chargifi surveyed over 2000 consumers to explore how access to power has the ability to transform the guest experience and increase footfall and consumer spend for businesses.
We now live in an age of digital dependency. By 2020, almost 75% of the global population will be connected by mobile and on average, users touch their phones 2617 times a day. However, connected devices with multiple apps running have one problem in common – they drain power. On a daily basis, almost two-thirds of smartphone users run out of battery before 5pm.
Poor charging experience is driving customers and guests away
According to the research, 15% of people claim they have walked out of a food and beverage establishment because they could not charge their device. For millennials power is even more of a priority – with one quarter admitting to doing the same – meaning a potential loss of revenue from the millennial wallet, as well as a potentially negative experience of the brand.
Convenient access to power positively affects ROI
Nearly half (46%) of people surveyed claim they are more likely to stay longer and order more at a hotel, café, restaurant or bar if they can charge their device and almost one-in-five (17%) say they have spent money at a food and beverage establishment just so they can power up. The access to power combined with positive guest experience is impacting on ROI with increased spend and guest loyalty.
The figures increase drastically for millennials, with almost two-thirds saying they are more likely to stay longer and order more if they can charge their device, compared with less than a third (30%) of people aged 55-64 who claim the same.
These findings are supported by the results of a six-week pilot Chargifi ran with a major global hotel brand: charging spots were installed in the bar area (with an average charge time of 45 minutes per device) and this resulted in more guests coming to the bar and staying longer than normal, with a projected 64% return on investment and 10% revenue increase per bar seat.
“In 2019 access to power is a deal-breaker for guests and customers who are looking to stay connected 24/7,” comments Dan Bladen, CEO and co-founder, Chargifi. “Easy access to power is no longer a luxury, it is a basic need and the hospitality industry is now quickly recognising this. Our research reveals that power has the potential to make or break a guest experience – and can positively enhance it.”
The competitive edge of smart wireless charging
Almost one billion devices with wireless charging will be in circulation by 2020 and as the power cable fades in to obsolesce, customer demand for wireless power will rise inextricably. 50% of those people who own a device with wireless charging capability agreed that they are more likely to visit a food and beverage establishment if it provided access to wireless charging.
Bladen continues: “Wireless charging is poised to bring convenient and ubiquitous access to power to hundreds of millions of customers and guests every day. Power is the crucial foundation that fuels our lifestyles and the increasingly flexible and fluid way of working. Today consumers need to be connected 24/7 – a battery losing its charge or the search for a place to conveniently charge only serves to cause anxiety: meeting this demand is a huge opportunity for forward-thinking hospitality brands.
By 2020, there will be six billion smartphone users worldwide, wireless power will become as ubiquitous as WiFi – cutting the cord on power. For the hospitality industry this means that guests will choose venues based on whether they provide convenient access to power and we will start to see the provision of wireless charging having a huge impact on reviews.”
Smart wireless charging – a cloud-connected solution that turns wireless power into a service – enables businesses to not only provide convenient power, but to also capture insightful real-time data on customer behaviour, and when connected into an IoT infrastructure can trigger smart experiences.
Bladen concludes: “If you can influence how and when people get access to power, then you have a chance to influence the rest of their connected journey and experience.”
Methodology
Chargifi ran independent research surveying over 2,000 people to explore how their wireless charging needs impact their choices, experience and decision-making. The respondents consisted of hotel guests and café/restaurant/bar visitors aged 18 and over in the UK, the US and in the APAC territories of Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and New Zealand.
