Report: Gen-Zs shaping the future of UK telco market
September 25, 2024
Juniper Research, experts in telecommunications markets, has revealed a clear generational divide in the willingness of UK subscribers to adopt mobile operator value-added services, including music and video streaming, and home broadband. According to a survey of over 3,000 subscribers, the willingness to adopt these services varies significantly by age group:
16-29 years: 45 per cent
30-45 years: 39 per cent
46-59 years: 25 per cent
60+ years: 13 per cent
The survey results highlight that subscribers between the ages of 16 and 29 are almost twice as willing to adopt additional services, compared to subscribers between the ages of 46 and 59. As the age of smartphone usage continues to reduce, Juniper Research identifies that there will be significant opportunities for operators to grow their average spend per user.
Bundling Services Key to Competitive Differentiation
However, as operators struggle to differentiate their core connectivity solutions, such as 5G subscriptions to UK consumers, Juniper Research has identified that just offering additional services will not suffice in encouraging subscriber adoption, as operators must ensure that customer awareness is maximised. Operators must invest in communications strategies such as social media engagement and in-app messaging to educate their subscribers about additional services on offer.
Research author, Elisha Sudlow-Poole, commented: “To maximise return on investment, operators must focus on increasing the average spend per user, rather than on user acquisition, due to higher onboarding costs. By bundling in demand services such as music and video streaming, and additional data services into a single monthly phone bill, operators will increase subscriber spend. Advertising this bundling via loyalty schemes, exclusive deals, and personalised offers will be key to uptake.”