If your screen time has gone up in the past couple of months, don’t feel bad about it. The rest of the world is right there with you.😉 2020 has changed both the way we use technology, and how often we are using it. We were using it a lot pre-COVID, but today very few things can happen without the use of technology. Here are three ways tech usage has changed in our daily lives.
Everything is Online
Here’s a challenge: try and think of one activity you do without any assistance from technology. Got anything? If you do, I bet it was pretty hard to come up with. When you think about it, we rely on technology for pretty much everything. From the ways we communicate with others to how we get the news. And with a worldwide pandemic, we have relied on technology even more to stay connected. The result? Everything in our lives is happening online which is driving consumers to download more apps and look for ways to make purchases online.
Apps
App downloads have seen a large increase since March, especially news apps. With the craziness that is 2020, everyone is looking for more ways to stay connected and in the know, and a great way to do that is with an app that sends breaking news push notifications. In the period between January and April, news apps saw a 53 percent increase in installs and 104 percent increase in daily sessions. Other apps saw similar patterns. Business apps saw an 105 percent increase in daily sessions, and gaming apps saw a surge of 132 percent in just the last week of March alone. So apparently, when the going gets tough, the tough starts downloading apps.
eCommerce
ECommerce has skyrocketed 129 percent in 2020 as consumers are searching for new, safer ways to buy things, whether it is groceries or retail. Therefore, almost all brands have had to move their business online to survive these changing buying habits.
Tech Among Teens Is Skyrocketing
Kids and teens are growing up in a tech-obsessed world, and therefore are consuming more content online than any generation before them. About 95 percent of US teens have access to a smartphone and 45 percent say they are online almost constantly. Not to mention the majority of kids are now attending school virtually and spending all day on their devices. This increased internet consumption among teens is creating an opportunity where brands can reach a larger audience through digital and mobile marketing than ever before.
Virtual Events Are the New Norm
If anyone reading this hasn’t been to a virtual event yet, I am shocked. Thanks to social distancing, in-person events have been put on hold, and we now can’t host an event with technology. But not just a virtual event cuts it. A survey completed in May 2020, showed most people are not willing to spend more than 60 minutes at a virtual event, prefer the topic to be educational, and would rather attend the event in the morning. The type of media you choose to present on will also influence your event turnout because it will determine what mobile device guests can attend on. For example, if you have a webinar that will work best on a desktop computer vs. an Instagram Live session that is well-suited for a mobile device. Finally, it is a good idea to make your event live, but also record it for an on-demand version. Even though we are all stuck at home, we are still busy and can’t attend every event.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it is always be ready for change. Even just in the months since lockdown our technology patterns have changed multiple times. But the biggest takeaway is that we are relying on technology much more now, so businesses need to find a way to have a digital presence. Whether that means a full digital transformation and moving your business online, or increasing your digital advertising. There are a lot of digital opportunities emerging, so brands need to keep up!
Meet with one of our experts to see how easy it is to centralize your product data, manage digital assets, and create digital product experiences. Trust us…you’re going to be wowed.
