COVID-19 Lockdown: Here's how technology helped us survive the crisis

Millions across the globe self-isolated themselves as the Government enforced a lockdown in March 2020. For some, it was an overwhelming experience, especially for those who spent most of their time out of the house.

Thankfully, a growing list of daily activities, virtual health meets, products and initiatives launched by experts and other creative, made it slightly manageable for each one of us. Trying our hands at cooking to going back to art & craft, people across all age-groups were seen tapping this opportunity to help sharpen their skills or discover new ones from the comfort of their own homes.

Let’s look at some sectors that saw a spike in activity during the lockdown.

OTT Platforms

The market has revolutionized considerably in a way the content is created, distributed, and streamed. People constantly want a variety of content, and OTT caters to this demand magnificently with the perennial additions of varied content. The lockdown has led to more people inadvertently realizing the convenience of OTT, which has already created a shift in the way content is consumed on a day-to-day basis.  OTT platforms like Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, AltBalaji, Sony LIV, Voot Select saw a substantial rise in viewership and app downloads during the lockdown period. Khabri - India’s first and fastest-growing digital audio platform providing content in the regional language, has seen a 100% increase in app engagement during the lockdown. 

Game Space

During the Covid-19 lockdown, the online gaming market in India has witnessed a skyrocketing increase in user engagement. Various gaming platforms in India include Paytm First Games, WinZO Games, Hitwicket, Gamerji and Rummy. Paytm First Games has witnessed a 200% growth in its userbase. Also, the company is targeting 100 million users in the next 6 months. 

Stock market investing

Over the last few months, it has been noticed that capital markets have emerged as a medium of earning higher interest in the long-term. While technology may have disrupted a lot of businesses but technology adoption in the broking industry has gone quite well for broking houses. Leading broking houses like Angel Broking, Zerodha, IIFL and others have reported a rapid rise in the number of clients, as more investors decided to tap the stock market as they stayed indoors and got more free time to follow the market which in fact, has also given a rise to trading volumes. 

Online grocery

Online grocery market has seen a massive growth trajectory, owing to the increasing demand among consumers as a result of COVID-19.  Families, especially with infants and the elderly, prefer to stay indoors and place grocery orders online which has resulted in a massive surge in terms of the number of new users that are resorting to online applications for the delivery. The growth in a number of online grocery users coupled with the door-to-door delivery options provided by major apps. The ability to choose the time slot for delivery coupled with a reduced delivery fee on orders above a certain value is attracting more customers towards delivery business models.

Fitness & Health

Health and fitness apps have come up with new alternatives for people to remain fit while they stay indoors to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Apps such as CureFit and Fittr have introduced live workout sessions for users on their apps as well as on social media platforms, witnessing decent traction.