MANILA, PHILIPPINES — In light of the current social climate with the COVID-19 pandemic still continuously growing in different parts of the world and most countries resulting to implementing community quarantines, it is safe to assume that global smartphone usage has escalated exponentially. Especially since people restricted in the confines of their homes are constantly checking for updates on the latest virus-related news, and most daily activities have been replaced by a phone in hand.
AdColony, one of the largest mobile advertising platforms in the world, conducted the ‘Coronavirus Impact Survey’ in Asia Pacific to look into the behavioral shifts of people in terms of technology usage and social habits. The report also suggests how brands and advertisers can reflect on the channels they’re using to communicate with their target markets, as media consumption has also been greatly affected by the quarantine.
2,500 respondents across APAC (including Australia, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and more) shared their behavior during the COVID-19 outbreak on the survey. And these are some of the study’s highlights:
- Social distancing is practiced across Asia-Pacific — More than half of the respondents have started working from home and cut back on social and outdoor activities.
- Massive mobile gaming uplift — 45% increase in number of consumers playing mobile games multiple times per day.
- People are playing more mobile games in their free time — 68% of respondents are playing new games on their smartphone and 44% are playing mobile games daily.
- Switch to online shopping — 95% of respondents have purchased something online in the last 2 weeks and 46% say they will shift more purchases online.
- Support for the local communities — 76% of consumers want brands to continue communicating during this crisis and 47% state they hope to see ads featuring compassion and support for local communities
Read full AdColony Consumer Insights COVID-19 – Southeast Asia report here.
