Using search data to understand how consumer behavior has changed

Apart from the tragic loss of lives and the overall impact on health systems all over the world, the current pandemic is bound to have an influence on the global economy, too. Some business sectors like those connected to transportation, tourism, restaurants and hospitality or event planning, will need government support in order not to disappear completely. And most countries are already taking measures in that direction.

On the other hand, those enterprises that can adapt and offer their services online, or delivery-based, may have even seen a positive impact in the past few weeks.

With so much of the world population being blocked inside their homes, people are using the only way they have left for reaching out to others: the internet. So much so that network providers have been dealing with infrastructure capacity problems in some areas. They are urging big players like Youtube and Netflix to reduce streaming quality in order not to “break the internet”.