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Coronavirus & Trends in Digital Traffic

The Covid-19 outbreak commonly referred to as Coronavirus, has been declared a global pandemic. Online trends and digital traffic are shifting in response to Coronavirus and social distancing. There is an increased necessity for specific items and in-person transactions have come to a halt. Worldwide, businesses are adapting to these changes. You’ll see that most are experiencing decreased revenue due to brick and mortar operations closing temporarily. In spite of the declining trends for numerous retailers, we are beginning to observe some businesses’ digital platforms spike in traffic, especially those that are related to basic necessity as well as entertainment.

 

Practical Solutions During Coronavirus Outbreak

We are now seeing consumers in China rely heavily on their mobile devices, in order to get by during isolation. Grocery and food delivery apps are doubling in sales. The online meal solution, MissFresh is experiencing an increase in number by as much as 61%. As these types of practical online markets invite the growing traffic, you’ll find them working diligently to accommodate customer needs. Alternately, some online purchases are going to be limited.  For example, face masks at HomeDepot.com. These are restricted to no more than 10 per customer. The adjustment is just a measure for the now primarily online retailer to meet supply and demand.

According to Kelly Lynch, a retail solutions manager for Active Viam, a data analytics company, retailers must adapt their online framework to meet consumer needs during these uncertain and isolated weeks to come.

“To successfully navigate this outbreak, retailers need to think about how they can best restore consumer confidence and meet changing consumer buying patterns as the virus potentially spreads,” Lynch said. “This includes making sure that their online infrastructure is strong enough to cope with an influx of online orders in affected areas, making delivery strategy changes, and just simply providing customers with clear, concise information about any changes that may impact the buying experience.”

With restaurateurs now closing their doors to dine-in patrons, eateries that have the means are ramping up operations for their delivery and application-driven business. “Now to better serve our customers and protect our employees, we rolled out contactless delivery, which is very well received by our customers. In addition, we also rolled out orders online, pick up in-store, contactless services and saw some encouraging early results as well,” said CFO Ka Wai Yeung of Yum China brands.

 

Boredom Alleviation During Social Distancing

As far as platforms centered around entertainment and information, we will see that huge spikes are inevitable as people will use their smartphones more while socially distancing themselves. According to BGR.com, the news outlet for electronics markets, “Smartphone use will only increase if you have to spend time indoors in isolation from others. The smartphone is your gateway to the world, and the perfect weapon to keep boredom in check.” Apps like TikTok, or China’s Weibo for example, have seen usage grow by 31% during this outbreak. YouTube and various social media apps are surging in Asia and it is now just a matter of time that our counterparts will see this in the US.

Finally, advertising spending around mobile gaming apps and streaming services could balloon as the need for boredom relief grows in homes across the globe. CNBC reports, “If the spread of coronavirus continues significantly, that could result in increased ad spending in areas such as mobile gaming or streaming services if consumers end up spending more time at home amid the outbreak, while ad spend could decrease in areas such as out-of-home advertising.”

Here, at APPSPIRE.me we remain ready for positive shifts in business, client inquiries, and the ever-changing position of the economy.

 

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