What consumers in Europe do online during the lockdown

Since our previous update, consumers across Europe have had time to re-engineer their daily routines. With fewer options to partake in outdoor events, many consumers are shifting their attention online. In the charts that follow, we look at how consumers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK allocate their time online. Specifically, we rank and compare selected content categories (full list below) by visits during the weeks of January 13 to January 19, 2020, and March 23 to March 29, 2020. We chose the week of January 13 to January 19 because consumers across the continent have resumed their pre-holiday routines, and the effect of the virus won’t emerge for another few weeks; Italy declared a national emergency on January 31.

1. FRANCE

Visits to social media sites or apps dwarf those of other categories, a pattern that holds true in other EU5 countries. The top 5 categories before the crisis (i.e. during the week of January 13-19, 2020) remain the top 5 categories during theweek of March 23-29, 2020, and visits to all five of them increased significantly. However, the relative positions differ, with the “News/Information” category leapfrogging “Entertainment” in the rankings, due to a 63% jump in visits.

2. GERMANY

Contrary to France, the “Retail” category features among the top 5 categories in Germany, while the “Games” category does not. Similar to France, however, the top 5 categories before the crisis (i.e. during the week of January 13-19, 2020) remain the top 5 categories during the week of March 23-29, 2020. Visits to all five categories increased significantly. However, the relative positions differ, with the “News/Information” category ranking higher, owing to a 58% jump in visits, and the “Search / Navigation” category ranking higher, owing to a 20% jump in visits.

3. ITALY

Italy was the first country in Europe to be impacted by the virus, and, as a result, the focal point of much media coverage. Compared with the week of January 13-19, 2020, visits to the “News/Information” category surged 68% in the week of March 23-29, 2020. On the other end of the spectrum, visits to the “Retail” category increased by only 3%, resulting in the category losing a place and ranking fourth in total visits during the week of March 23-29, 2020.

4. SPAIN

As in other European countries, the “Social Media” category generates the most visits, and visits to the “News / Information” category increased the most – by 59%. Unlike other EU5 countries, however, visits to the “Retail” category went down by 18%, a considerable decrease. Interestingly, when looking at sub-category data, we saw that much of the drop could be attributed to Apparel and Sports/Outdoor sub-categories. Conversely, Books and Food/Grocery grew significantly, as some consumers adapted to their new circumstances by looking for someone new to read or ordering groceries online.

5. UNITED KINGDOM

Like France, the “Games” category features among the top 5 categories, both before the crisis (i.e. during the week of January 13-19, 2020) and during the week of March 23-29, 2020. Visits to all of the top 5 categories have increased, resulting in all of them keeping their relative positions. Again, the increase in visits to the “News/Information” category, at 54%, dwarfs that of other categories.

* Consumer categories include: Automotive, Career Services and Development, Directories/Resources, Education, Entertainment, Family & Youth, Financial Services, Gambling, Games, Government, Health, Lifestyles, Media, News/Information, Real Estate, Retail, Search/Navigation, Social Media, Sports, Technology, Travel.

APPENDIX

• Jan 24: France confirms its first case of the coronavirus within its borders.
• Jan 27: Germany confirms its first case of the coronavirus within its borders.
• Jan 31: Italy confirms its first cases of the coronavirus within its borders.
• Feb 1: Spain confirms its first case of the coronavirus within its borders.
• Feb 23: Italy quarantines small towns hit by the outbreak.
• Feb 24: Panic hits the financial markets. All asset classes are impacted.
• Feb 28: UK confirms its first case of the coronavirus within its borders.
• March 9: Italy declares nationwide lockdown.
• Mar 14: Spain declares nationwide lockdown.
• Mar 17: France declares nationwide lockdown.
• Mar 22: Germany issues strict social distancing measures.
• Mar 24: UK declares nationwide lockdown.