Have you ever heard of the term disposable time? You are probably familiar with the concept of disposable income, but the concept of time is called disposable time. Today, people talk a lot about the customer’s disposable time in marketing. In this article, we will look at this concept.
What is disposable time?
Disposable time refers to the time that customers have at their disposal. In economics, disposable income is defined as money that can be freely spent after subtracting non-consumption expenses such as taxes and social security costs from income, and this concept has been replaced by time, which is called disposable time.
Each day has 24 hours, which is equal for everyone. In addition to the essentials such as sleeping and eating, work and household chores are subtracted from this time, and this is the time we have at our disposal. Now it is becoming more and more important to find ways for people to use this time.
Background of emphasis on disposable time
In the days not long ago, before the Internet became widespread, television, reading, and listening to music were the main ways people used their time, and people spent much of their time here. However, with the spread of the Internet and smartphones, the way people spend their time has changed dramatically. The use of social networking services and playing smartphone games has changed as time is consumed.
Today, the diversification of lifestyles has resulted in the diversification of individual tastes and preferences, and the content consumed can no longer be categorized by a single TV channel. In the age of smartphones, where each person has one screen, technology has developed to recommend content for each user, and the content displayed to each user is now different. The TV, which used to be a part of the family gathering, is being replaced by the personal smartphone, making it easier to produce content that is in line with individual interests and behavior. And, as with television, how long customers can be glued to a site or service is becoming more important for service operations.
In YouTube advertising, how long content keeps viewers on the site is a very important factor in generating revenue. The latest Google Analytics also features a user lifecycle indicator, which uses the length of time a viewer stays on a site as a measure of engagement, and a new item called retention rate has been added to indicate the degree of return visits.
Thus, today, increasing customer engagement and how to get customers to spend their time in a meaningful way is considered extremely important, and all kinds of services from news, games, and shopping to social networking are working hard to compete for their customers’ disposable time. Push notifications and email usage promotions are also measures that can be taken to improve engagement. The emphasis is now more than ever on how to encourage customers to spend their limited time, the content of the services provided to them, and the service experience.