22.06.2020

COVID-19 - Changes in online behavior across LATAM

GfK Report: Time spent on online categories analysis

Which categories of online use have increased and decreased the most before and during the COVID-19 crisis? Using our online usage index based on time spent across different categories of sites, we look at changing patterns of use for:

  • Argentina
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Mexico
  • Brazil.

We analyzed the average daily time spent in each category before the crisis (1 January – 11 March) and compared it with the time after lockdown to understand how behavior had changed, the health of various categories and to get an idea of where to advertise. We used an index approach, where figures above 100 means use has increased, and below 100 mean use has dropped. 

The three categories growing the most were Public Services, Retail, and Communication. as people searched for information and updates about the Coronavirus. The top three categories experiencing a decline were Automotive, Sports and Travel. 

By splitting the analysis into five time periods for each of the markets studied, we can see the rise and fall of categories. For instance, in Argentina the average time spent on Public Services peaked in the 1st half of April. While in Chile, time spent on retail sites has continued to climb steadily across April and May.   

The data for this analysis is taken from GfK’s cross-media single source panel covering online use across the top 3 and bottom 3 performing categories for adults 18+ across Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Brazil.

You can access all the analysis in our report