Digital Trends - Spring: Incl Impact of COVID-19 - US - April 2020
Overview
 
What you need to know 
While social isolation measures are in place to combat the spread of COVID-19, consumers resort to more digital tools and software solutions to retain a connection to others and take the place of out-of-home entertainment. Meanwhile, more employees are working from home, students have shifted to online instruction, and digital services like video chats became the new happy hour spot. COVID-19’s impact on consumer behavior and trends will have a short-term impact that could result in long-term changes and opportunity for new product development. The virus is also having material impact on hardware and manufacturing, causing significant supply chain issues globally, which will lead to retail disruptions in the longer term.

Key issues covered in this Report
●	The impact of COVID-19 on consumer behavior in the digital and tech space.
●	How digital hardware and services will fare the post-COVID-19 slowdown
●	Home and personal electronics ownership and purchase intent
●	Essential tech shopping resources and services primarily accessed via apps

This Report was written in March, 2020, and updated on April 30, 2020 with the COVID-19 implications. 

Definition 
This Report tracks ownership of various home and personal electronic devices, intent to purchase, consumer interest in new tech and consumer attitudes toward technology, sustainability and apps.

Hardware covered in this Report includes but is not limited to:

●	HD TVs (720 pixels, 1080 pixels)
●	4K Ultra-HD TVs (2160 pixels)
●	8K Ultra-HD TVs (4320 pixels)
●	Blu-ray/DVD players
●	Video game consoles
●	Smart speakers (eg Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod)
●	Streaming media players (eg Chromecast, Apple TV)
●	Sound bars (ie a wide single speaker system)
●	Home theater speaker systems
●	Smartphones
●	Laptop computers
●	Desktop computers
●	Tablets
●	Bluetooth speakers
●	Wireless headphones (ie covers the ear, eg Bose noise cancelling)
●	Wireless earbuds (eg Apple AirPods, PowerBeats Pro)
●	Activity trackers (eg Fitbit)
●	Smartwatches (eg Apple Watch)
●	Convertible laptop/tablet hybrids (ie with foldaway or detachable keyboard)
●	Virtual reality headsets

Readers of this Report may also be interested in Digital Trends (Hardware) – US, October 2019 as well as Digital Trends (Consumer) – US, April 2019.