The coronavirus has forced people to confine themselves in their homes in order to stay safe and prevent virus spread. Beyond the impact on society and business in general, COVID-19 has had a large impact on the mobile app industry as there is a constant surge in install volumes.
Globally, we have seen popular apps in the Play Store and App Store of different categories like gaming, social media, healthcare, entertainment, etc. have gained massive downloads within a couple of months.
As per the figure released by the analytics platform App Annie, more than 222 million apps and games were downloaded in China from App Store In February 2020.
Additionally, if we talk about digital marketing, there is no downturn.
More and more companies are now using online promotional activities because people are busy with their smartphones, so what could be a better way to catch their attention?
Social media paid advertising, and other modern marketing activities carried by companies to boost their sales during this uncertain time.
So let’s see how Coronavirus impacted the app downloads and digital industry.
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The Rise In Weekly App Time Spent
As people are confined inside their homes, they use smartphones to accomplish their daily tasks and entertainment purposes. To stay safe, people prefer online solutions, whether it is grocery, food, or clothing. People on lockdown continue to explore new ways to leverage mobile to accomplish their daily tasks.
People are installing apps and spending the majority of their time shopping for things ranging from daily essentials to healthcare and fitness, food and lots of things in between.
According to App Annie, daily time spent in apps on Android phones increased by 15-20% in the first quarter of 2020. Moreover, consumers spending time over both devices also have increased by 15% from 3% dramatically and achieved a new record for in-app purchases spending $23.4 billion globally.
Let’s have a look at the following statistics that help you understand better.
- During the second week of March, more than seven lacs of business apps such as Google Meeting and Zoom have been downloaded worldwide. Games are another popular category that has noticed rapid growth as users stay inside their homes.
- Media and entertainment streaming apps such as Netflix, Amazon prime have generated more than 23% revenue during a pandemic.
- Health and fitness apps also have experienced a 15% increase in user engagement during the quarantine. Besides, online shopping, travel, and luxury apps have experienced a huge drop in app downloads.
Impact Of COVID-19 On Mobile App Categories
Home Delivery Apps
In the current Covid times, there is an obvious reason to order food and other essentials online. People are using ubereats-like applications and ordering food online because it prevents virus spread and keeps them safe at their homes. Food and grocery delivery apps are the ultimate saviors for working people.
Social Media Platform
Coronavirus has socially distanced people, but social media usage has been increasing because people now find it’s an interesting and convenient way to meet people and spend time. The surge in social media platforms has been estimated at 82% as it becomes the mandatory medium of communication during the lockdown. The screen time spent on social media grew as users posted more content and spent approximately 4 hours in a day.
Remote Working Apps
More than 87% of employees working remotely, and mobile apps downloads have increased for Zoom, Skype, Google Meeting, etc. Zoom saw a drastic 266% increase in the number of app downloads during the pandemic, where Skype is the second who has experienced a rise during the same time.
Effect Of Pandemic On Digital Marketing
No doubt, digital marketing was popular before the pandemic, but now it’s not a luxury; it’s necessary. As we have seen before, people’s inclination towards digital mediums have been constantly increasing. Whether it is about the entertainment of business or daily essentials, people prefer online solutions.
It means brands need to make their presence strong on the web using modern marketing techniques. If they want to grab the user’s attention, they have to be on social media and other digital platforms where they can engage with users and encourage them to buy products and services.
Thus, we can say that this is the right time for business owners to sit and make wise decisions based on ongoing conditions.
Here we have seen that a lot of time is being spent on the Internet; this creates a golden opportunity for business owners to cater to the B2B and B2C industry to drive traffic and retain customers.
Final Thoughts
From the above discussion, it’s clear that the mobile app development industry is thriving as there is a constant rise in usage, engagement, and downloads.
If you are also new to online business or want to revamp your existing business, this is the right time to take a step because people are spending more time on their smartphones than anything else.
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- Impact Of Coronavirus On App Downloads And Digital Marketing - January 3, 2021
