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As the novel coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across the world, people are still confined to their homes. With most schools, colleges and offices still being closed, most people are relying on social media platforms to interact with each other. Therefore, a lot of entertainment and social media websites have seen a spike in usage in the last few months. Snapchat recently released data regarding user behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a look at how the epidemic has affected Snapchat usage and what that means for the company.

New User Rush on Snapchat

The first quarter of 2020 has been especially good for Snapchat, which gained 11 million users, bringing the total count of daily users to 229 million. The addition of 11 million new users, or Daily Active Users, is a 20% increase over what their usage was last year. Similarly, with most people being stuck at home, engagement has also risen tremendously. The first quarter saw the creation of over 4 billion snaps every day! With more and more people migrating to Snapchat to stay connected with their loved ones, the company recently released new data regarding user activity. The new look at how user behavior has changed during the COVID-19 lets us understand how the disease has affected people around the world.

User Behavior Changes

The impact of COVID-19 has helped engagement rates hit all-time highs. Furthermore, more and more people are now turning to social media sites like Snapchat to stay connected to their friends and family. Compared to February, March has seen a spike of 50% when it comes to time spent on voice and video calling facilities. Such a trend may also be associated with social distancing rules which came into place in March, forcing people away from one another.

This has led to most people switching to IG, Snapchat, Zoom, and Skype to talk to their loved ones face-to-face. March also witnessed an all-time high with regards to group chat engagement rates, as friends and colleagues started using video calls to stay in touch. Friends have also started sending each other more snaps than ever before to keep them informed of what they are up to during the quarantine period.

Peak Usage and Activity

March has seen an all-new high emerge concerning the number of snaps sent amongst friends. While this number peaks during Christmas and other holiday seasons like that, this year, the peak came in March when the quarantine came into place around the world. More and more people are also spending their time getting accustomed to Snapchat’s new features and additions. As people do not have the luxury of going out to entertain themselves, they are trying to find new ways to stay occupied during this quarantine. That has led to many of them exploring all the options that the app has to offer, as they figure out ways to stay active and occupied. New features such as AR lenses and games have also peaked since March.

The company’s official statement says that Snapchat has seen a significant rise in engagement levels, time spent, number of users, and also with regards to the usage of in-game features such as chats. When compared to February, usage of Snapchat’s lenses has gone up by another 25% in March. Snapchat Shows has also become a massive hit with the crowd, with engagement rate and time spent on Snapchat Shows hit an all-time high. More and more people are tuning in to stream content related to News, Health, and Gaming.

Other User Activities

Snapchat also released data regarding off-platform user activities based on surveys and off-platform location data gathered as of mid-March. The studies show that there is a 73% drop in college and school attendance as predicted. Due to social distancing norms, there is a 29% decrease in bar visits, 22% fewer people are traveling via air, and there’s been a massive 60% drop in people attending concerts. Similarly, gyms are seeing 41% fewer people, and most users are staying home for the majority of their time.

Furthermore, Snapchat data shows that 62% of their users are now streaming more data, while there’s a 21% increase in online shopping. It seems 38% of their users have taken to gaming while another 23% is engaging in online food delivery to beat their quarantine blues. Content consumption has increased considerably, with a 39% increase in people watching the news, while 39% now depend on their TV. Also, social media has seen a 29% increase in user engagement, while ad revenue seems to be on the decline.  

Though Snapchat has achieved all-time highs with regards to engagement, their revenue from ads is down when compared to earlier months. While February witnessed growth in ad revenue of 58%, it dropped to 25% by March due to the COVID-19. According to Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel, most companies have had to cut their ad budget due to the pandemic, resulting in this slump. However, the growth in early Jan and Feb will give Snapchat confidence that they can improve their revenues once the pandemic draws to a close.

Athulya

Being a cinephile with a love for all things outdoorsy, Athulya never misses a chance to chase inspiring stories or poke fun at things, even when the subject is herself. Currently pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, she is someone innately interested in technical and scientific research. Music reviews and op-eds define her as they allow her to explore different perspectives. Though sometimes she thinks she makes more sense playing the guitar than she does while writing.