The coronavirus crisis and the lockdown that followed have had a major impact on our lives and the way we use the internet and mobile phones. This is according to a special report prepared by the companies Bezeq International, Pelephone, and Yes.
According to the report, internet use and cell phone calls have skyrocketed and have not yet returned to normal levels, the public is fed up with current affairs broadcasts, trading sites actually benefited from the coronavirus, and there was one app that made the most impressive jump, while another, popular one, actually lost ground.
Ilan Sigal, VP of Marketing for Pelephone, Yes and Bezeq International: "The research we conducted at the three companies allowed us to analyze how our lives changed during one of the most challenging periods since the establishment of the state.
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""At the beginning of the Corona crisis, we saw major changes in habits in all areas of the Israeli public's life: leisure, culture, shopping, movement and interpersonal interactions.
""The Zoom app has undoubtedly become the queen of the Corona period. Even today, with the return to the new routine, there is a huge increase in its use, and I estimate that it will remain with us for a long time. It, or similar apps for mass conference calls, will replace a large part of work meetings and perhaps also gatherings with friends and family. Corona has proven that virtual meetings may be less pleasant, but they are effective and do the job.".
Highlights of the report:
• Despite the return to normal, Wolt and Ten Bis couriers, who have become symbols of the Corona crisis, continue to work hard today, as Israelis continue to order food home and use these apps at a level similar to the level of the Corona crisis. The couriers of the food chains, on the other hand, can rest assured that the level of online delivery orders from supermarkets, which rose to 130% more than during normal days, has returned to its normal level.
• Israelis have returned to taking pictures and uploading photos to Instagram after a significant drop in use of the app during the coronavirus pandemic. The Zoom app, the queen of the coronavirus pandemic, is still operating at very high usage despite the return to normal and continues to replace physical meetings.
• Lovers from afar - Even though it is now possible to leave the house, there is a 10% decrease in the use of dating apps precisely with the return to normality.
• And the news: We're tired of current affairs broadcasts. After an increase of about 120% in viewing of current affairs and news broadcasts during the Corona crisis, today there is still a high viewing of about 30% more than during normal days. Interesting, but less so.
• Yes, leaving the city, but it depends on where - although the roads are already relatively full and traffic jams have returned, Waze usage, which dropped to 99% on Seder night from its usual level, is now 30% less than before the coronavirus. On the other hand, no one dreams of New York City. Ben Gurion Airport is still empty.
• Guarding their wallets – Despite the return to normalcy, Israelis are in no hurry to rush to international shopping sites (Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, etc.) which suffered a 2013% drop in visits, a decline that continues to this day.
Israelis stormed the websites of food chains and restaurant ordering apps and abandoned international trade sites:
Food delivery websites/apps – The big beneficiaries of the Corona crisis. Starting with the one hundred meter limit, there was a 60% increase in the use of these apps. With the first wave of easing, there was a 130% increase in the use of apps. Even today, there is a 100% increase in the use of apps. The public is not giving up on outside food despite the return to a kind of routine.
Supermarket websites – The public switched to online orders. During the restrictions on trade and gatherings, there was a 40% increase in online orders, which jumped to 100% during the 100-meter limit. After the first wave of easing, there was a gradual decrease in ordering from online sites, and today online orders are about 20% less than during normal times.
International trade – The biggest losers from the coronavirus are the international trade sites (Ebay, Amazon, AliExpress, etc.) which suffered a decline of approximately 20% starting from the closure of the education system and the transition of the economy to an emergency mode. This decline continues to this day.
The public is at home and social media is celebrating, except for one:
Zoom – The coronavirus and social distancing have only done Zoom good. An app that few people in the public knew about before the coronavirus has seen a 5,000 percent increase in the number of users!
WhatsApp - WhatsApp usage increased by approximately 401% between the closure of the education system and the transition of the economy to an emergency mode and the Passover curfew. After the second wave of easing, WhatsApp usage returned to almost the same level as in the pre-corona days.
TikTok - After the restrictions on commerce and gatherings, TikTok usage began to increase by approximately 30%. After the first wave of easing, there was a 60% increase in usage of the app, which has remained stable to this day.
Facebook - With the closure of the education system and the transition of the economy to an emergency mode, there was an increase of approximately 30% in Facebook usage. Starting with the imposition of the one hundred meter limit, usage stabilized at an increase of 10% more than during normal days, and this increase continues to this day.
Instagram - The only social network that lost from the Corona crisis. Starting with the closure of the education system and the transition of the economy to an emergency mode, there was a decrease of about 10% in the use of Instagram. After the second Passover curfew, the network began to recover and its use today is quite similar to its use in the pre-Corona days.
It's not pleasant to meet - Israelis use dating sites and apps less precisely after returning to the Corona routine. The use of sites and apps fell by about 10%. A decline that continues to this day.
Internet use and cell phone calls have skyrocketed and have not yet returned to normal:
Cellular calls – Since the closure of the education system, there has been an increase of approximately 25% in the amount of cellular calls, the high usage continues to this day even after the first and second waves of relief and the return of the education system.
Wired browsing – After the closure of the education system, there was an increase of approximately 35% in home internet usage, reaching approximately 40%. Even now, after the partial return of the education system, browsing is higher than usual by approximately 20%.
Cellular browsing – After the 100-meter limit, there was a 15% increase in cellular browsing usage. Today, usage is 10% higher than usual.
Current affairs broadcasts - the public is fed up with current affairs - after the closure of the education system and the transition to an emergency format, there was an increase of 120% in viewing current affairs broadcasts. During the Passover period, the increase was 60%. During the second wave of relief measures, when the public was waiting to receive the relief measures, there was an increase of 90%. Since then, there has been a consistent decrease in viewing, with current affairs broadcasts currently being viewed 30% more than usual.
Ben Gurion Airport is empty and so are the roads:
The number of Israelis traveling abroad began to drop with the announcement of home isolation for those returning from Italy. With the closure of the education system and the transition of the economy to an emergency mode, there was a 95% decrease in the number of flights abroad, and with the announcement of the 100-meter limit, the decrease already reached 99%. Even today, there are almost no Israelis flying abroad. The country that first suffered the decrease in the number of flights to it is, of course, China, followed by Thailand and, of course, Italy.
Our roads were also empty during the Corona crisis, and this was evident in the use of the Waze app, which decreased by about 40% with the announcement of the one hundred meter limit and dropped by over 90% during the Seder night.
Even today, the use of the application has not yet returned to the same level as on daily basis and is about 30% less.
