One Year Into the Pandemic, Groupon Study Shows People Are Ready for JODO (Joy of Doing the Ordinary)

As COVID-19 restrictions continue to lift nationwide, experiences marketplace Groupon today announced the launch of its ‘So #@$%ing Ready’ campaign, a four-week initiative aimed at helping consumers go from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to JODO (Joy of Doing the Ordinary). Throughout the month-long campaign, Groupon will be supporting local merchants by connecting them with consumers who are looking to get back to some sense of normalcy by taking on new experiences or engaging in routine activities offered by their favorite neighborhood small businesses.

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As COVID-19 restrictions continue to lift, a new Groupon survey shows 75% of Americans are 'So #@$%ing Ready' for the ordinary moments to return. (Graphic: Business Wire).

To help merchants [across America] serve up the local experiences Americans are most eager to do post-COVID-19, Groupon surveyed more than 2,000 people across the U.S. Activities that bring friends and family together topped the list. In fact, Groupon has found that 71% of Americans are ‘So #@$%ing Ready’ to get back to their everyday lives. Another 74% said they will never take ordinary experiences such as eating at a restaurant, getting a haircut outside of their garage, going to the movies or taking a group fitness class for granted ever again. And this bodes well for local economies as nearly 60% of total respondents said they are more inclined to support small businesses than they were prior to the pandemic.

To provide some JODO inspiration, Groupon uncovered the top-25 activities that people plan to do as soon as restrictions ease and things begin to return to normal. The experiences people are excited about vary from the unique and daring to the simple and everyday.

Once pandemic restrictions have been fully lifted in their area, here’s what respondents are ‘So #@$%ing Ready’ to do first:

• Hugging friends and family (41%)
• Trying a new restaurant (33%)
• Going to the movies (32%)
• Experiencing the holidays as a big family (29%)
• Seeing people’s faces in public (28%)
• Hanging out with more than six people (26%)
• Staying at a hotel or resort (26%)
• Going to brunch with friends (23%)
• Traveling across the country to see family (23%)
• Attending a concert (20%)

Other interesting survey findings included: women are more likely than men (31% vs. 11%) to return to clothes shopping, while men are slightly more likely than women (16% vs. 14%) to be excited about sipping cocktails at the bar. Three percent of survey respondents said they’re excited to fly in a helicopter. And heartbreakingly, and perhaps indicative of the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on older Americans, 45% of respondents ages 60 and above said they are most looking forward to hugging their loved ones.