As COVID-19 sweeps around the world, the virus could accelerate a trend that was already under way. Even before social distancing and sheltering in place, home was becoming the logistical headquarters for busy people looking to make better use of their time, writes Justin De Graaf, head of research and insights at Google.
Telecommuting and remote work have been on the rise for years now. Prior to the pandemic, mobile searches for "remote jobs" had increased by over 210% over the last two years. And a Global Workplace Analytics analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data between 2005 and 2018 found that working at home has grown by 173% between 2005 and 2018.
Meanwhile, pre-outbreak mobile searches for "grocery delivery" grew over 130% in the past two years. And according to NPD, the number of U.S. consumers 18 and older who shopped online for groceries, whether delivery or pickup, increased by about 51 million from the quarter ending November 2018 to the quarter ending February 2019.
In the short term, marketers will need to find ways to be helpful to people trying to meet their most basic needs. And in the long term, we'll all need to adapt to this "new normal" and work to understand what it means for all aspects of our industry when home becomes people's new headquarters.
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