If you haven’t heard about the global pandemic that is Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, you either might be joking or definitely need insight in it. Widely spread out in China at first, it has cost lives of a huge number of people and is still continuing to do so. Fast-forwarding a few months later, it has now spread out in more than 160 countries and now is a threat to all the nations of the world. COVID-19 has impacted the lives of people in so many different ways, globally. Not even the digital world has been spared from it. It has been affected enormously but in a positive way. Some of the ways the Digital media has been impacted in can be listed as follows.
Boost in E-commerce:
People are advised to stay at home because different areas contaminated by novel Coronavirus are generally on lockdown, and people are socially distancing themselves to decrease its blowout. This is why most of the companies have suggested their workers to work online for their safety. As a result, the usage of e-commerce has increased. A survey performed by YouGov in March’2020 showed that a good percentage of internet users are the ones who have avoided going to the public areas. E-commerce activities, most specifically the ones related to Health and Grocery, is booming with a decent percentage.
Higher Customer rating at Online Stores:
Another change that is made because of this virus is high customer rating at online stores, as people are not getting out of their houses and are avoiding going out in public. People are also vastly using Food delivery apps as restaurants, and food-chains are closed for Dine-In. But more specifically, online shopping has taken a massive hit, especially for Health products and Groceries. An example of this is increased traffic on websites such as Amazon, experiencing outpourings regarding products such as Hand-sanitizers and soaps. This is proving to be beneficial and challenging to digital retailers like Amazon, who is planning to hire additional 100,000 warehouse workers to keep up with the increased orders of the customers. It also launched a 25$ million Fund for employees to help deal with disruptions caused by COVID-19 outbreaks.
Usage of Facility Machines to limit Human-to-Human contact:
Companies such as JD.com and Meituan are working on using unmanned vehicles and drones to decline Human-to-Human interaction and minimize the contamination through the virus. Some companies are also using robots to supply medicines and to guide patrons within their amenities. This can be of benefit for the companies looking for opportunities to develop technology that serves the public by performing automated tasks. However, this drastic change can hold a lasting and positive impact if we think about technological advancement.
Boosting in the time spent Online and on TV:
Places of entertainment such as movie Theaters and Parks have been shut down, which directs the customers towards the Television and Internet. According to a survey from QuestMobile, time spent on mobile internet has risen up to an additional 7.3 hours, after the public was suggested to be placed in self-quarantine. Stats from Nielsen-CCData show that TV viewership has also grown, as there would normally be a dip during this time of the year.
COVID-19’s upshot on Search Engine Marketing:
Conflicts in everyday manoeuvres of public and other dealings already had an impact over Search Engine Marketing (SEM). But after the widespread of novel Coronavirus worldwide, SEM has also taken a hit as the search traffic is observed to have gathered around certain services and products. An example is a rise in searches for “Face masks”.
More Retailers are Investing in Social Advertising:
Companies are claiming to invest more in social advertising as e-commerce traffic keeps on increasing. Retailing marketers are expected to increase their efforts towards social marketing, as 47% of the respondents said that they would try to expand their marketing teams for the betterment of their social adverts. Still, social media isn’t going to be a “go-to” when it comes to making purchases, as other sources are still in the lead but the effect of the virus has caused this drastic change to be in the making, along with many other.
