The easy access to information changed our existence. It boosted our instinctive likelihood to connect with the other members of our specie and the eventual consequence of being influenced by them.
The internet revolutionized the way we communicate and interact. We are not anymore tied to a specific geographic location. It made us closer than ever before. it became part of our everyday lives, hardly any task wouldn’t need access to the internet anymore. It is involved in our education, entertainment, and healthcare. It even changed the way business is conduct and complicated everything that is related to the government and democracy.
According to Thinkwithgoogle (2020) we are online more often, our expectations as customers are rapidly changing, and the marketers need to comprehend, predict and respond with a finer brand experience.
This last year - due to the covid-19 - we witnessed even more dramatic changes in the way we use the internet and our devices. As we continue to face uncertainty, it is ultimately important for every marketer, in every industry to revise and adjust their strategies to face the accelerated consumer behaviour changes.
1. Access to the internet The latest statistics showed that the majority of the internet users worldwide are aged between 25 and 35 years old. In Great Britain, the access to internet became a common thing just like access to water or electricity.
In January 2020, 96% of the households got access to internet with 3% increase from 2019 and 39% from 2006. The use of internet among the adults aged 65 years old and over have also increase to reach 80%. Moreover, 76% of adults over the last 12 months shopped online with a significant and a remarkable increase among the 65 years old and above category which sore to reach 65%.
2. Digital devices usage In 2020, about 59% of the world’s population were online active users with the telephone mobile as the main medium for internet access.
In the UK, in 2017, 92% of the respondents owned a mobile phone while 77% had a smart phone.
Almost 50% of the adults between 25 and 34 years in Great Britain used a virtual assistant smart speaker or app. Moreover, 35% of the adults reported usage of the “internet of things” devices.
Although the usage of internet and digital devices is increasingly used over the world, a significant percentage of the population haven’t been educated about how to secure their personal data and make their utilisation of these devices more private.
3. How consumers search for informationThe internet revolutionised the way people search for information and make purchases, actually 81% of the customers start their buying journey online. Although the purchase path may seem to be complex and involves multiples channels and devices, the consumers often look up the first few results suggested at the top of the search engine and compare few options including the prices and offers, investigate specific features and quality, and check reviews and stars ratings
4. What consumer buy online In 2019, The UK market is driven by the millennials with a preference for fast fashion and the best bargains. They tend to have high expectations, a desire for foreign brands, fast delivery and flexible free returns conditions. This behaviour did not change over 2020 where 55% of the adults online purchase behaviour were mainly related to clothes, shoes and accessories followed by a demand for fast food from 32% of the adults
Consumer purchase behaviour changes due to the covid-19As consumers around the globe adjust to what may be called the new normal, a significant variance has been noticed in the consumers sentiments and behaviours across countries.
Right after the second wave of the covid-19 as well the discovery of the new variant there was a renewed sense of caution as coronavirus cases soar in parts of the world such as here in UK. While the uncertainty from COVID-19 persists throughout the world, the consumer sentiment is different across the countries. As a result, there is significant variance in how consumers feel the impact, respond to it and adapt to it. Except for China, India and Indonesia who expressed high optimism and showed positivity towards the changes as well as willingness to spend into discretionary categories. A large number of the glob’s countries remain less optimistic about their countries’ economies and continue to limit their spending to the essentials such as groceries and household items.
The crises also showed an important and significant shift in the consumer's purchase habits with an increase of online food shopping of about 30%. Moreover, more than 65% of them intend to incorporate the new behaviours in their daily lives postcovid-19. In addition, the impact of the crisis has been reflected in the consumption expenditure which fell by over 10% in the second quarter last year due to the raising worries about contracting the virus. People are more than ever before concerned about their physical and mental well-being and that of their family members and friends.
Television and radio programs were promoting programs dedicated to mental health as the level of anxiety rose dramatically. The possibility of losing jobs due to the current global crisis were the second reason of consumers holding on their earnings. Therefore, consumers have cut back on the non-durable goods such as clothing, makeup … and so on. As well as on the services such transport, and food services, travel and accommodation.
5. Video consumption Over the last few years, videos became more important in a way that we show to our kids their favourite shows online, we watch video tutorials, and we follow virtual events and so on. Actually about 5 billion YouTube videos are viewed daily and over 27% of online users spend more than 10 hours per week watching videos. Although the popularity of the videos is driven by the generation Z and the millennials, it has been present for centuries starting from the black and white screens to smartphones and smart TVs. Now, the world of video productions is expanding and involving every platform, in fact marketing videos are all over social media and marketers should incorporate video usage more often in their marketing strategy.
6. Consumer trends Heraclitus once said that
“the only constant is change”. The last two years showed a significant change in the consumers’ habits and a large number of businesses, even the well-established one did not or hardly managed to face the unpredicted and surprising trends which accompanied the current health crisis. Therefore, those able to predict, analyse, and anticipate may be the one able to withstand the storm.
- Consumer’s health and wellbeing worries.
- Consumer’s usage of digital channels and devices.
- Consumers going green and concerns for earth.
- Consumers prioritizing value.
- Consumer’s concerns for privacy and digital security.
Conclusion
New technologies have empowered us. We got access to information, increasingly and more than ever before speaking up our opinions and raising awareness. This evolution did not only augment our abilities it is also constantly and continuously shaping and directing them.
Albert Einstein
“Our entire much-praised technological progress, and civilization generally, could be compared to an axe in the hand of a pathological criminal” The last few years proved that most of us do not understand how complex technologies are. In fact, 17% of the adults who use a smart phone did not have a security on their mobiles and a significant 32% did not know if they have security or not. Unfortunately, the giant corporations, the egocentric elites are not ashamed of misusing their potential which is ultimately leading Humanity towards a new dark age.
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