Almost eight million adults working from home listen to commercial radio every day, according to research commissioned by Radiocentre.
The New Ways of Working, New Ways of Connecting report explores how commercial radio can help advertisers connect to 56% of the total full-time working from home audience.
The report reveals that 50% of commercial radio listeners who are working from home full-time are now listening for longer compared with pre-pandemic.
This has increased from 45% since the first lockdown in March 2020, suggesting new listening habits were established at the very start of the pandemic and that these have become entrenched.
With nine out of ten (89%) of the working from home commercial radio audience specifying that they listen for longer now because they can have the radio on while work, the findings suggest that commercial radio is giving advertisers access to this high-value audience at times when they may not have been listening pre-pandemic.
This working from home audience is receptive to advertising, with 52% of them admitting that they search for something when they have heard it advertised on the radio.
They also have ambitious spending plans for when lockdown measures are lifted. The working from home audience is keen to return to restaurants and other leisure pursuits and many are planning big purchases such as a new car and home improvements, with the highest proportion, 57%, planning a big holiday.
Lucy Barrett, client director at Radiocentre, said: “Radio helps listeners stay connected, which is especially important during lockdown. What is particularly interesting about this research is that it explores the ways working from home audiences have adapted, continuing to spend during lockdown and their plans for big ticket purchases once restrictions are lifted.
“Now we have an impressive vaccine rollout and people are getting closer to returning to offices, it’s also interesting that this audience is keen to retain some form of working from home in the future and radio will always be there to keep them company.”
