Everything is controlled from the cell phone: how quarantine accentuated the digitization of our lives

There is no doubt that the health crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) has accelerated the digitization in our lives. And it is that to avoid more contagions, social isolation forced us to do everything through our mobile devices: Take classes, hold work meetings, exercise routines, live artistic performances, watch television broadcasts, order food and other products, among other things.

According to figures from Annie App, an application that is responsible for collecting market data through the analysis of mobile applications, from January to March worldwide, a growth in the time of use of mobile devices, not only in native users but in all generations: China tops the list registering 30% on the rise, which means five more hours per day; followed by Italy with an increase of 11%; Japan and France with seven percent more; and Germany with 2 percent.

Another data that stands out is consumer spending on applications by operating system: iOS and Android, register an increase of 15 and 5 percent respectively, generating a new record for application spending for this first quarter, with earnings of more than USD 23 billion around the world.

The categories of applications that allow you to carry out the essential tasks of the day from home are experiencing greater demand.

Since its inception, gaming apps have established themselves as consumer favorites and in times of quarantine its use is increasing exponentially. In February alone, worldwide game downloads increased by 39% in its different categories: casual, educational, simulation, action, strategy, role-playing and casino.

In turn, worldwide, the average weekly time in applications and games on phones Android grew 20% year after year in the first quarter of 2020.

Faced with sanitary measures, businesses had to change your business model. Those who already had delivery apps chose to boost them, while businesses that have not yet joined this vertical have decided that it is the best option to avoid losing customers and at the same time continue to supply, not only food but of articles of first necessity, before the impediment of going out.

Just in the first week of March, food delivery apps saw a curve of growth of more than 25% in use in Spain, compared to what was recorded the previous week, followed by the United States and France with an increase of 15%. In Mexico, according to data from AppsFlyer, home delivery services had a rebound between March 31 and April 6 with a 39% growth in facilities through advertising.

In addition, transportation applications such as Picap or Cabify developed new messaging services to meet the growing demand for delivery services.

The trend of the use of this type of apps is growing since they have adapted to offer more types of care as information nutrition meditation and more sophisticated programs of training.

According to Comscore information, audience traffic to digital fitness and wellness platforms increased their audience a 133% across the planet.

The total market for fitness apps was already a vertical that generated great profits and is still estimated to reach USD 14.7 billion by 2026. Some of the most prominent platforms in Mexico are Classpass and Fitpass.

In Mexico, it is estimated that this year the growth of electronic commerce will be 12%, which represents sales for more than USD 6.3 billion. This trend will be affected by quarantine, as not all purchases will go up, as is the case with online sales of non-essential products.

Among the top mobile apps for iOS to make purchases in Mexico are Mercado Libre, Shein, Liverpool, Amazon, Wish, Coppel, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Privalia and Romwe.

This is how mobile applications are a vehicle to access products and services with just one click, which cannot be traditionally available during a crisis like the current one.

It is clear that not all companies are in a position to adapt to this, but it is vital to evaluate it and make an effort, since It could help lessen financial impacts.