15 Consumer Trends That Resulted From The Coronavirus

The Coronavirus has caused new stresses, new opportunities and new trends in people’s online behavior.

We had our own assumptions around what was exactly happening, so we dug deeper. Some of the results were obvious, and some surprised us (and were hilarious!). Below are 15 data-backed trends we found as a result of the Coronavirus:

1. Consumers are shifting habits from shopping in-stores to online, while also increasing online media consumption as much as 60% (Nielsen). Worldwide video consumption on platforms like YouTube and Netflix have increased with more people at home, while new video production is mostly limited to animation due to the flexible nature of its production (animation can be made remotely).

2. People were increasingly searching for small business loans beginning in March 2020.

3. The “Elbow Bump” is emerging as a new trend in the United States, as they may be a safer alternative than handshakes which can spread more germs.

4. People are craving new connections online, with search interest for “with me” content surging. Views on “study with me”, “shop with me” and “eat with me” searches are up.

5. Of the essential workforce, a significant percentage are from multicultural communities. Search interest volume for “work from home” is far greater than the Spanish version “trabajar desde casa”, indicating that working from home is less of an option for Spanish-dominant users.

6. Search interest in office chairs & standing desks, is rapidly rising. With the work from home movement, more people are looking for new or better home office furniture.

7. Search interest in “unemployment application” started to spike in mid-March. This is likely an unfortunate side effect of the huge number of people who’ve lost their jobs due to a challenging economic climate.

8. Search interest for “home workouts” shot up in mid-March. The stay-at-home order has forced more people to look for new ways to stay in shape while at home.

9. “Healthcare workers” & “nurses” are among the highest searched for terms, whith search interest for “Healthcare workers” and “nurses” trending up sharply from mid-March. Emerging as heroes on the front lines, more people are searching these terms to see how they’re dealing with the pandemic and hopefully how to support them as well.

10. Searches for “bored” are also trending since mid-March. It’s not all fun and games while working from home. People are increasingly getting bored at home so they’re searching for ways to combat it.

11. The mobile meditation app “Headspace” had a surge in search interest. The stay-at-home life is causing more stress for many (looking at you, parents), so many are turning to the app to regain their Zen.

12. People are sharing feelings of frustration and anxiety as they try to get Baby-Boomer parents to adopt social distancing. Our bet is that kids are looking for reasons to help their parents understand why it’s important to stay inside.

13. “Virtual Tours” has emerged as a new trend with people lookng to experience tourist destinations while most are closed due to the Coronavirus.

14. Search interest for “Zoom” video conferencing is on par with search interest for Center for Disease Control (CDC). Another side effect of the #stayhome movement as more people are using Zoom for remote working and staying in contact with friends and family.