How are online shoppers reacting to Covid-19?
Coronavirus has (at least temporarily) changed the way we live, from how we interact with family and friends and where we work, to how and what we buy from supermarkets and online.
Britain’s supermarket shopping habits have been well documented on the news in recent weeks, as many resorted to panic buying hand sanitiser and loo roll, forcing supermarkets to restrict the sale of certain items. But what impact is the pandemic having on our online shopping behaviour?
Using data from Glimpse, we’ve analysed internet search trends to reveal how much searches for particular items have increased, and some of them may come as a surprise.
Music
With more time to kill, many people are looking at learning a new instrument:
- Ukulele — 39% increase
- Guitar tuner — 39% increase
- Keyboard — 21% increase
Exercise
Despite being cooped up, Brits are looking to stay fit and healthy:
- Dumbbells — 725% increase
- Resistance bands — 347% increase
- Yoga mat — 93% increase
Working from home
Plenty of people are adapting to working at home:
- External monitor — 160% increase
- Mouse for laptop — 85% increase
- Standing desk — 77% increase
- Desk — 32% increase
Baking
Budding bakers are turning to bread to fill their time:
- Yeast for bread — 1121% increase
- Bulk flour — 503% increase
- Bread maker — 374% increase
Tech
Our tech searches show how we’re trying to keep in touch with friends and family:
- Netflix Party — 9,550% increase
- Zoom — 875% increase
- Skype — 550% increase
- TikTok lights — 101% increase
- Slack — 95% increase
Miscellaneous
Here are a few of the stranger items people have been searching for!
- Cigarette delivery — 392% increase
- Bidet — 379% increase
- DIY haircut — 221% increase
The longer the UK has to spend social distancing, it will be interesting to see what other new search trends emerge in the coming weeks.