Disney Parks Execs Recognize "Phone Fatigue" Is a Problem

Good morning, Patreon members!

It's a joy to rejoin with you on this Monday morning that is a gift from Heaven up above. Why do I say so? Well, one, because I love sharing information with you and two... because I consider existence itself to be a miraculous miracle of sorts. If you have children, you'll understand that just a little bit more. I know it changed my perspective for sure!

So let's get to an exclusive if that's alright.

Later this week, That Park Place is going to be releasing news that Disney Parks executives now admit there is phone fatigue amongst their guests. That's according to a source who has revealed what they say are internal discussions amongst highly-placed personnel. It's no shock to us given that guests are forced to be on their phones to do just about everything they want to do while navigating Disney World and Disneyland. I mean, who would ever thought that you go on vacation to get away from the tiny screens and see something magical?

The far more interesting aspect of this is apparently they don't have an answer yet. So much of what they do and the money they want to extricate from your wallet is tied to you using those darn phone apps. So even though they know they have a problem that is sinking guest satisfaction, they can't seem to find a way to solve letting you look up at the scenery. Even worse for Disney, we're told they now have declining participation in some major aspects of their MyDisney app... and that means guests are likely willing to forego all the (nearly mandatory) benefits of using the app just so they can stop dealing with it.

One interesting tidbit sent our way: 

Apparently Disney is noticing a decline in Mobile Ordering at the parks. That's the red flag of all red flags for them because Mobile Order is just a way to get your food more quickly. There's almost no downside to it. And yet, people apparently are so sick of being on their phones, they're opting to wait in line to get their food than order through the app. For Disney, that's an even bigger problem, because they use the online app information to know how many people to staff, how much food to have prepped, etc. The days of measuring all those issues based on crowd-levels and patterns is long-gone. And that's just one tiny aspect of all the MyDisney app issues that arise if guests stop using the online services due to "phone fatigue".

And it's just another example of Disney management learning that what we've been saying for months and years is the reality on the ground. Guest want to look up... not down.

Your pal,
Pro