Gen Z loves a cheap date. Could they save the British pub?

It sounds unlikely. Young consumers are watching what they spend, drinking habits are changing and pubs across Britain are fighting for customers. You might assume that Gen Z's growing preference for cheaper dates would add to the problem.

But there is another way of looking at it.

Our latest research at VistaPrint found that seven in ten Gen Z daters are now more likely to choose a lower-cost date, such as coffee or a walk, over a more expensive option than they were a year ago. Yet they are not dating less. Nearly six in ten say they are dating more frequently than they were a year ago, with Gen Z dating or meeting potential partners almost five times a month on average.

The expensive, high-stakes first date is competing with something simpler: meet for a drink, grab a coffee and see if there is a spark. If there is, there is always another date.

For a generation under financial pressure, it makes sense. And surprisingly, cheaper dates do not necessarily mean spending less overall. More than half of the Gen Z daters we surveyed said their monthly dating spend had increased over the past year, with the average Gen Z date still costing around £57.

That suggests younger people are not retreating from going out. They are being more selective about how they spend.

That's where Britain's pubs and small businesses should take notice.

One expensive night out might be harder to justify, but meeting someone for a reasonably priced drink is an easier decision. Cost-conscious dating could therefore create more frequent, lower-spend occasions, which is exactly the kind of repeat custom many pubs need.

There is a catch, though. It’s not just about the money.

Fewer than half of the Gen Z daters we surveyed had been on a date in a pub or bar in the previous three months, compared with six in ten daters nationally. Being affordable is only part of the answer. Pubs also need to look the part.

More than nine in ten Gen Z daters told us a venue's appearance plays an important role in their dating experience, while almost a third said it could make or break the date. When choosing an independent venue over a chain, they pointed to distinctive food and drink, atmosphere and more personal customer service. Nearly a quarter said they would choose an independent venue to impress their date with their knowledge of a cool spot.

That feels like an opportunity tailor-made for the great British pub.

Independent pubs and restaurants have something that bigger, more uniform businesses often struggle to recreate: character. It might be the sign outside, an interesting menu, a cosy corner or simply a room that feels different. On a date, those details matter because the place you choose says something about you too.

Working with small businesses at VistaPrint, I see how much thought owners put into creating that sense of identity. Often it is the details that make an independent business memorable and give people a reason to recommend it and come back.

And despite everything we hear about Gen Z living through their phones, real-world impressions still count. Some 39% of the Gen Z daters we surveyed said they are more influenced by how a venue presents itself in real life, compared with 25% who are more influenced by its online presence.

Of course, first dates are not going to solve the considerable challenges facing Britain's pubs.

But Gen Z's dating habits challenge the assumption that cost-conscious young consumers simply don’t want to go out anymore. They do. They are just thinking harder about where they spend, what they get in return and whether an experience is worth repeating.

Pubs and small businesses do not need every Gen Z customer to splash out on an expensive night. They need to become the place someone chooses for a first drink, comes back to for the second date and, if all goes well, keeps returning to long after.

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Katie Eldred is Senior Country Marketing Manager - UK & Northern Europe at VistaPrint

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