How our digital behaviour has changed.
Without a doubt, COVID-19 has resulted in a change to our online behaviours. The digital landscape is still evolving as some countries reduce lockdown restrictions, and some still enduring strict confinement such as Victoria.
As you probably already know from your own digital behaviours we are all spending considerably more time using technology than we were at the beginning of 2020. In fact, as reported by Hootsuite in their latest quarterly report, the global internet traffic has grown by as much as 30 percent this year.
With our digital behaviours changing the last few months has resulted in some significant milestones and trends as reported in the Hootsuite Digital 2020 July Global Statshot.
Standout stats from the last quarter include:
- Digital habits formed during the peak of the lockdowns have endured, despite the easing of restrictions
- More than half the global population now use social media
- The number of global internet users has grown by 346 Million (+8.2%) in the last year
- 73% of Australians purchased something online in the last month
- Australians spent an average of $2,700 per user in online purchases in the last 12 months
What was interesting to find in the report was the significant change in how people search to learn more about brands and products.
In recent months the overall gap between search engines and social network search behaviours has been steadily closing, indicating an ongoing shift in how people look for information about things they want to buy.
The younger generation, 16-24 age group, are more likely to head to their social networks for their research needs, over search engines.
It’s also worthwhile for us to point out that 98 percent of all internet users across all age groups use a search engine every month to source information. This is for sourcing information indirectly via keywords and phrases but also looking for a business or product directly.
Now let’s take a closer look at e-commerce.
Overall e-commerce transactions are up roughly by 20 percent in July compared to the beginning of the year. However, the weekly number of online transactions has been declining since lockdowns began to ease, but online conversion rates continue to increase.
So, will people continue to shop online? The answer is yes. While our bricks and mortar shopfronts are still incredibly relevant and viable, e-commerce offers an opportunity to expand and complement your business. In fact, 29% of Australians expect to shop online more frequently even after the pandemic ends.
So, what do all these numbers mean for you?
- With search behaviours changing social networks are a must-have, as we see from the numbers, people are looking to put business profiles on social media. Remember, social media search algorithms work differently to search engines, so don’t forget to include those valuable hashtags on Instagram and Facebook and use your social platforms to drive people to your website.
- People have adapted to buying online, even though they won’t be relying solely on making their purchases digitally, people are now accustomed and comfortable with this. So now is the time to consider if an e-commerce site can help strengthen, complement and grow your business. Where people might have found your website via google search previously, data now indicates that people are reaching your website via social networks. Use both your social media platforms and website as a source of information, as people are now more than ever using technology for research to make purchase decisions.
- You need to be found online. Those all-important google searches whether it leads people to your social networks or website is now more critical than ever. Evaluate your digital footprint. It’s worth investing some time into how people find your business and ensuring the information they are seeing is valuable and current.
You can read the complete Digital 2020 July Global Statshot here.
Considering a website for your business, read our ‘How to plan for your website’ blog for some great tips and check out our portfolio of some of the latest websites we have developed for local businesses who have taken the leap to digitise their businesses.
