CHICAGO, Sept. 17, 2024 – As the rapid growth of cities and the urban middle class gives rise to a new “experience economy,” JLL’s (NYSE: JLL) 2024 Global Consumer Experience Survey finds consumers are increasingly seeking higher-quality experiences from the built environment – ones that combine human-centric design with spaces that foster a strong sense of community, belonging and connection. The global survey captures data from over 3,200 global respondents to understand how stakeholders involved in creating, owning and managing corporate real estate can adapt to shifting consumer expectations to unlock greater value in their portfolios.

Findings from JLL’s survey are unveiled through a series of articles that explore the opportunities to create stand-out consumer experiences in buildings, venues and the spaces in between. The first article, launched today, explores the top five priorities consumers are now seeking in urban living environments, including: creating “destination” spaces; integrating experience across real estate developments; connecting the physical and digital; focusing on human-centric design; and understanding the value drivers of shared experiences.

“It’s people we ultimately build places for, and understanding what they need first is imperative,” said Lee Daniels, JLL Global Growth and Innovation Lead, Work Dynamics. “By developing comprehensive experience strategies that encompass multiple dimensions, we recognize that it is people who transform places and spaces, while experiences and interactions ultimately shape people.”

With most consumers willing to pay more for higher quality experiences, tapping into this need for connection and community can play a differentiating role in the future success of real estate developments.

The experience economy will play a key differentiating role in the evolution of urban developments as consumers demand greater value and quality from their in-person experiences. The majority of respondents across generations and regions consider experience important in choosing where and how they spend leisure time and their related purchasing, from a desire to travel to new places, wanting unique urban experiences, and prioritizing in-person activities. Respondents also share they are willing to pay a premium for this quality, especially among Millennials (80%).

JLL Research, 2024

JLL Research, 2024

As consumer experience becomes an increasingly important consideration for new developments and asset repositioning, understanding what people are seeking from these experiences will be critical in unlocking greater value in spaces. In addition to fundamentals like safety and affordability, respondents across regions and generations say fostering a strong sense of community and belonging are key drivers in choosing an experience. This comes at a time when isolation and loneliness are reported as the main threats to quality of life in cities, exacerbated in younger generations by a reliance on digital connections rather than face-to-face interaction and in older people due to lack of mobility.

Whether it be through dining out, sporting events, concerts, movie or other social activities, consumers are hungry for more opportunities to connect with others in meaningful ways.

“Forward-looking new development projects should consider how to enable greater social connectivity within individual buildings and throughout multi-building development campus locations,” said Peter Miscovich, JLL Global Future of Work Lead, Work Dynamics. “For example, organizations can develop an integrated employee experience based upon leading consumer experience practices by treating their employees in the same manner as they would treat high-value customers.”