Importance of memorable everyday experiences

The search for a happy life is a timeless question, and while no simple answer exists, research has shown that consumers often gain more satisfaction from experiences than material possessions. Memorable experiences, elämys in Finnish, are commonly associated, both in discourse and in earlier research, with extraordinary events, such as luxury or travel.

However, a consumer's life is not solely made up of vacations or luxury products; a significant portion takes place in everyday routines. This creates a need to explore memorable everyday experiences—moments that do not require major financial investments or special settings, yet can still provide meaningful and memorable encounters. Studying everyday life is valuable, as it is repetitive and relatable for many. By understanding what makes an everyday situation a memorable experience, we can also identify ways to increase the occurrence of such moments in consumers’ daily lives and thereby improve their overall satisfaction.

The aim is to analyze why certain moments become memorable everyday experiences, arkielämys in Finnish, what elements contribute to their formation, and how they manifest in consumers’ daily lives. The study also addresses current challenges in how experiences are defined in the earlier research.

Conducted as a qualitative study with ten participants aged 22–25, the findings highlight three key elements in forming everyday experiences: openness to the situation, its uniqueness, and the fulfillment of a need. These experiences were found to occur along two continuums—either grounded in or detached from everyday life, and either calming or activating—and were expressed through six roles: rewarding, emotion-blocking, inspiring, task-facilitating, productive, and routinizing.

The findings show that memorable everyday experiences do occur as part of consumers’ daily lives and are formed through a multi-stage process. These experiences can manifest in different ways, including through six roles that meet various needs present in daily life. Consumers’ everyday lives encompass a range of needs, and when these needs are met, a situation may become a memorable everyday experience.