The stigma of eating out on your own is fading , with more than half of consumers are now happy to eat and drink alone so long as they have access to the internet to check emails, use social media and keep in touch with the day’s news, according to new research.
The survey of 2,000 people conducted by O2 Wifi also found that Wifi is now as important as ‘atmosphere’ in Britain’s pubs, with one in seven consumers insisting that Wifi access was now ‘crucial’ for them to even consider entering a café, bar or restaurant.
The survey found that the ability to get online was now essential to our choice of destination and that staving off boredom was deemed a crucial reason to hop on the web in public – with a quarter of those questioned connecting without having any specific reason or purpose to going online.
The research, conducted by O2 Wifi as part of its ‘Wifi Britain’ report, found 60% of people are more comfortable spending time in public on their own now that round the clock internet access means they can log into social media in many public spaces.
One in ten people have even left the venue they were in because of a lack of internet access.
Not surprising when one quarter admit they have become more reliant on public Wifi in recent years – in fact, the average person connects to a public Wifi network nine times every week.
And a fifth of people experience frustration and even anger towards venues that do not offer them free Wifi.
Gavin Franks, managing director of O2, said: “Britons tell us that being able to access the Internet in their local cafes or bars is a liberating experience. Gone are the days when you have to twiddle your thumbs or bury your head in a book if you found yourself dining alone.
“Fast, reliable and free Wifi in the places we hang out enables us to spend more time in the venue doing the things we enjoy – be that updating, posting, blogging, booking, buying or even just reading.
“Restaurants and pubs are fast cottoning on to the fact that people are much happier to spend time alone if they can busy themselves online – whether that’s checking their emails or gaming.
“As a result we’ve seen a surge of interest from high street brands wanting to make online access as easy as possible for their customers. It’s a great way for them to engage with their customers through digital experiences while shopping.”
