This document summarizes a study into consumer behavior during and after lockdown periods in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It groups behaviors into three categories: slow reversion, accelerated trends, and new behaviors. Some key findings include that retail demand is returning gradually, online shopping adoption increased and will remain higher than pre-pandemic levels, and streaming video and gaming saw boosted interest during lockdowns. The report advises advertisers to plan campaigns flexibly in case of future lockdown periods.

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LOCKDOWN
LIFT-OFF
A study into consumer response to lockdown, and
key actions for advertisers
This study, a first of its kind, is based on a mix of proprietary research, public data from Google and
Apple, as well as a bespoke research project created in partnership with Ogury.
A MediaCom study into consumer response to lockdown,
and the key actions for advertisers, in collaboration with
Ogury and partners.
LOCKDOWN
LIFT-OFF

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Slow reversion
Hospitality, Automotive
and Retail - those where
consumers will take time
to return to pre-crisis
behaviours
Accelerated trends
On Demand Video,
Financial Services - those
where long-standing
trends have been
enhanced at home
New behaviours
Esports, Local Travel –
those emerged during
the crisis & are likely to
out-live lockdown
02 0301
The study groups behaviours into three key areas
The study is formed from nine markets, including Australia, China, Denmark, USA and more.

3. 33
SLOW
REVERSION
01

4. 44 Source: Google COVID Mobility Report 2020
Consumers’ return to re-opened
stores will be gradual and slow
The return of retail demand is occurring,
but slowly. In markets where lockdowns
were shorter, or the human death toll was
comparatively low (e.g. Denmark,
Germany) there has been a near return to
pre-COVID norms for essential shopping.
Recovery is slower in markets where the
outbreak was most severe. This is a
testament to lasting consumer concern
about virus spread.
In China for instance, our proprietary
research saw concern about catching
COVID peak in April, four months after the
onset of the pandemic.
Retail and Grocery Footfall over Lockdown/Recovery

5. 55 Source: Comscore Life After The Pandemic 2020
Automotive interest is rising
The automotive industry will take
heart from significant increases in
interest in “big ticket” items, despite
long-term economic uncertainty.
Having plummeted during
lockdown, automotive interest is
rising in a quasi V-shape in some
markets.
The study found a 50% increase in
car manufacturer site traffic in week
one in Germany, Italy and Spain.
Automotive manufacturers might
also benefit from trends the study
identifies in China where health
fears are keeping commuters away
from public transport, generating
new consumer demand.
50% increase in car
manufacturer site traffic in
first week after lockdown

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E-commerce will become the new
normal, even for categories where
adoption was slow
The increase in adoption of online shopping has been a
widely-observed trend during the lockdown. An open
question was whether consumers, especially new converts,
would eventually shun online platforms and return to
supermarkets en-masse the moment travel restrictions were
lifted.
App install and foot traffic data tells us that while some
consumers do opt to shop in person - relinquishing shopping
apps as stores re-open, online shopping app usage levels
remain significantly higher than they were pre-lockdown,
although decreasing.
Source: Ogury Analysis: Online Grocery Shopping FR/ES Feb/March/April 2020

7. 77 Source: Google COVID Mobility Report 2020
Large retail chains are the big
e-commerce winners
While all online grocery has been
boosted during outbreak, the big
winners in terms of share of e-commerce
do appear to be large entrenched retail
chains. Carrefour, Amazon,
Walmart/Asda and Tesco, who have
expanded their leadership in key
markets, are not seeing significant
decreases in the number of active users
like their smaller competitors.
Opened accounts will not be cancelled
and the newly experienced customers
will continue to enjoy the convenience
of online services, with Amazon being
undoubtedly the strongest beneficiary
during and post-COVID.
Increase in searches for Amazon over Lockdown/Recovery

8. 88
ACCELERATED
TRENDS
02

9. 99 Source: Ogury Analysis: Streaming app use FR Feb/March/April 2020
Streaming services are king
Streaming services such as Netflix
and Disney+ were already on a roll
before the pandemic and
benefited from lack of alternative
entertainment options. Post-
lockdown, we are not seeing these
services decrease in consumption,
unlike broadcaster video on-
demand services, which decline as
lockdown is removed.
Across all OTT platforms, the use of
event content launches continues
to boost demand. Roku, which
promoted a partnership with the
Lady Gaga-led celebrity concert
‘Together At Home’ on April 18, has
managed to double its reach of
American households, reaching
similar levels to SVOD services Netflix
and Amazon.
Active users of downloaded Streaming Apps over Lockdown/Recovery

10. 1010 Source: Ogury Analysis: Online Shopping AU March/April 2020
Doubling of Afterpay Active Users over Lockdown/Recovery
Spending patterns
will be irregular
‘Buy now pay later’ apps
such as Klarna and
Afterpay were already
becoming a feature of
the e-commerce
landscape but both have
seen huge spikes – in
Australia usage of
Afterpay has risen from
42.9% of app users active
in March to 86.1% in April.
Consumers may be
looking to increase their
spending, perhaps before
they have the chance to
earn the money to pay.

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NEW
BEHAVIOURS
03

12. 1212 Source: Ogury Analysis: Use of Sports and Gaming Apps (US) Feb to April 2020
Sports’ loss will be streaming and gaming’s gain
During the lockdown, sports audiences turned to live gaming broadcasting en-masse. They literally
swapped their passion for balls, rackets and sticks in favour of handheld controls, downloading a host
of new games and eSports streaming applications, such as Twitch.
With live competitive sport hard to come by during the lockdown and taking its time to relaunch, this
increased interest in gaming is manifesting in leading sports leagues, such as the UK’s Premier League
and France’s Ligue 1 recreating live ‘games’ via FIFA 20, often featuring star players and network
commentators, as a substitute for cancelled matches.

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A new era for travel
Source: Apple COVID Mobility Report 2020
When it comes to the hard-hit
travel industry, consumer
interest is slowly increasing: we
have noticed increases in
visitation to travel websites
and apps like TripAdvisor and
Lonely Planet after lockdown
ends.
Indeed, the focus for 2020
may be domestic travel. In
Norway, Spain and Portugal,
we are seeing this pattern via
apps such as BuscaUnChollo
(up 20% after lockdown) and
nature app UT (where usage
has doubled to become the
largest travel app in Norway
after Booking.com).

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What should advertisers be mindful of?
It’s highly likely that, as the recovery stage progresses,
we will see spikes of new infections around the globe,
some of which will lead to the reintroduction of
isolation measures. This means it is critical for advertisers
and their agencies to plan with flexibility in mind.
This means ensuring media plans can be adapted if
lockdowns are reintroduced – changing the media mix
to upweight in-home media, or flexing the message to
one appropriate for the current situation. It means
working with media owners to mitigate risk, and it
means ensuring the ways-of-working are in place to be
able to monitor the current situation and approve any
necessary changes to the plan at pace.

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