With social distancing and government-imposed self-isolation affecting millions of individuals, keeping in touch, staying informed and entertained while still maintaining a safe distance has led to a massive explosion in mobile app downloads.
Consumers are finding themselves with more time to download apps, play online games and stream media, leading to new records. App Annie recently reported that consumer spending in app stores for the first quarter of 2020 exceeded $23.4 billion. Unsurprisingly apps that provide entertainment have seen the largest surge in downloads as millions of people look for ways to distract themselves. Streaming has climbed by 26% in the U.S. alone. Mobile app gaming has also seen a sharp rise, with an increase of 24% in the last two weeks of March.
The need for basic supplies continues to remain strong, with grocery apps seeing a surge in downloads. Instacart reported the downloads of their grocery shopping app increased 218% between February and March of 2020. Walmart reported an increase in downloads of its grocery app of over 160% in the same period, and Amazon has pledged to hire over 170,000 new employees to help handle the massive influx of orders coming through their app.
During these uncertain times, one thing that needs to remain consistent is brand reliability and authenticity. Research from the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) found that during the COVID-19 health crisis, 43% of consumers find it reassuring to hear from brands they “know and trust.” This reassurance directly translates into consumer spending as 70% of the consumers polled by AAAA reported they intend to purchase products from these familiar brands.
Unfortunately, bad actors are eager to take advantage of the chaos and confusion caused by this crisis. As a result, brands must remain hyper-vigilant for any instances of abuse of copyrights, trademarks or intellectual property.
Eventually, this pandemic will end and when it does, the brands who will emerge on top are those who were able to adapt to this crisis while also ensuring that the experiences their consumers had with their apps were authentic and safe.
To help ensure your brand is secure during this difficult time and that your customers have authentic experiences with your mobile apps, we’ve prepared a complimentary guide that explores proven strategies to fight infringement in app stores.
