How did our behaviour change during COVID? Seven secrets search data reveals

A lot has changed over the past two years. With much of the world in lockdowns or living under other COVID measures, we’ve altered many of our daily habits.?

But just what are some of the lifestyle and purchasing changes we’ve made as a result of the pandemic? And how do they differ from country to country? To find out, we analysed search data from four countries:

• Australia
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Singapore

To narrow the field, we analysed search data from six product categories:

• Beer
• Wine
• Liquor (spirits)
• Furniture
• Kitchen appliances
• Sports apparel

And finally, to give us a picture of how COVID changed our lifestyle via our online searches, we examined spikes in searches in each country and how it differs year-on-year since 2019.

Here are seven secrets about our behaviour that we’ve learned from it.

1) Not much changed in Hong Kong

Hong Kong came through the first wave of the COVID-19 relatively unscathed, and had a flatter epidemic curve than other countries.?

It wasn’t until the fourth wave, in late November 2020, that the condition was described as "severe". But even then, the measures put in place didn’t include lengthy, city-wide lockdowns. Apart from ‘Sports Apparel’ that saw a greater increase in search, Hong Kong saw no significant spike in any other search terms.?

2) Singapore and Hong Kong got fit

The search volume for sports apparel in 2021 increased compared to 2020 across all four countries, but only Singapore and Hong Kong saw a significant spike.?

In Singapore, searches for sports apparel increased by 520% in 2021 compared to 2020. Whereas in Hong Kong, it increased by 212% in 2021 compared to 2020. Japan had the highest number of daily searches, averaging at 4,000 in 2020, and increasing to 10,000 from April 2021.?

3) More Australians and Japanese were cooking during the pandemic

In general, the search volume for kitchen appliances has increased across all countries since the pandemic. In Australia, searches for kitchen appliances grew 31% in 2020 compared to 2019, and again by 25.49% in 2021.?

Japan saw the biggest increase in searches though, with 178.58% more searches in 2021 compared to 2020. Search volume is usually the highest in Australia at around 4,000 searches a day. But in May 2021, Japan overtook Australia with 7,000 searches per day.?

4) Almost everyone got into flatpack furniture

The search volume for furniture increased across all countries in 2021 compared to 2020. Singapore saw the biggest increase at 36.35%, but searches in Australia, Japan and Singapore all rose when the pandemic hit.?

When the pandemic happened, furniture saw a spike in search volume from 30,000 to 60,000 searches per day in Japan. Furniture remained their top search term during COVID except at Christmas, where wine took the top spot.

5) We all drank more alcohol

There was one commonality across all four countries: we drank more alcohol! The search volume for wine in 2021 compared to 2020 increased across the board. Monthly search volume was highest in Australia, averaging at 279,515 and increasing to 323,606 at Christmas.?

The search volume for beer also increased across all countries (except Australia) in 2021. Hong Kong saw the highest increase at 40.37%. Australia actually saw a 2.48% decrease in search volumes.?

The monthly search volume for beer in Australia averages at 359,909, and can increase to more than 465,303 during festive seasons. Japan monthly search volumes average at 147,379 and do seem to see more demand during the summer season. Singapore consistently has a higher search volume in beer compared to Hong Kong.?

In general, when it comes to consumption, the data shows us that Australia prefers beer over wine, and Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong prefer wine over beer.

6) We all prefer different drinks

The search data also revealed that we prefer different alcoholic beverages in different countries. Beer is the most searched beverage in Australia, closely followed by wine and liquor (spirits).?

Hong Kong and Singapore, meanwhile, mostly search for wine, and in Japan, beer and wine both compete for the most searched beverage status.

7) Australia and Japan shop for liquor very differently

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given what was happening across the world, search volumes for liquor increased across all countries in 2021 compared to 2020.

Australia had the highest number of searches, ranging at an average of 60,268 per month. Japan's search volume has been lower, at around 57,075 searches per month. And more people search for liquor in Hong Kong than in Singapore.?

The data also shows that Australians shop for liquor very differently to Japanese people. In Australia, the spike for last minute searches is very steep, while in Japan it is more gradual.?

This tells us that brands who are promoting liquor in Japan need to advertise well in advance, using an always-on campaign. In Australia, meanwhile, spikes in searches can go up to 30,000 a day. So campaigns should be weighted around key shopping events and seasons when consumption rises.??

Top search terms by country

So of the six search categories, which is most popular where? Here they are broken down by country in terms of volume (highest volume at the top).

Australia:

• Beer?
• Wine
• Furniture
• Liquor
• Kitchen appliances
• Sports apparel

Hong Kong:

• Wine
• Furniture
• Liquor
• Beer
• Kitchen appliances
• Sports apparel

Japan:

• Wine
• Beer
• Furniture?
• Liquor
• Sports apparel
• Kitchen appliances

Singapore:

• Furniture?
• Wine
• Beer
• Liquor
• Kitchen appliances
• Sports apparel

To maximise the performance of your advertising you need the right data. Get in touch to find out how we deliver intelligent campaigns that consistently outperform the industry across the customer lifecycle.?

About the author

Joshua Wilson started his career in digital marketing in 2013 when he started his own affiliate marketing business promoting brands on social networks and mobile DSPs. From there, he moved into content and worked with brands to help build their online presence and communities.

Joshua started at Crimtan as a client services manager in 2015 working on the APAC business leveraging his knowledge for the market and Japanese language skills. In 2018, Joshua moved to Tokyo to build and open the Crimtan Japan office. Now in the role of Commercial Director, JAPAC, Joshua oversees the operation in the region promoting Crimtan’s local and international capabilities.