Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are spending more time at home. To maximize their activities at home, people often search for smart home devices on Google.
The Google Year in Search 2021 report found searches for smart home devices experienced a significant increase. For example, searches related to smart lamps were up 22% and searches related to smart refrigerators were up 42%.
Since the restrictions due to the pandemic, digital penetration has accelerated and consumers have adapted to a hybrid lifestyle, where offline and online channels have blurred the boundaries and offline and online interactions have become part of consumers' lives.
"And these people use technology to improve their hybrid lifestyle.
The Year in Search 2021 data is taken from Google Trends in the period September 2020 - August 2021, and compared with data for the period September 2019 - August 2020.
Apart from smart home devices, people are also increasingly looking for electronic devices that can improve health and fitness in the midst of a pandemic. For example, the increase in searches related to air purifiers on Google increased by 63% in the period September 2020-August 2021.
Other wellness devices that people are looking for include walking pads (262%), air fryers (97%), step counts (71%), and calorie counting apps (38%).
As social restrictions require many students to study from home, the search for productivity-enhancing gadgets has also increased. In 2021, searches for college tablets increased by 100%, followed by laptops for schools (82%), and monitors for schools (57%).
Searches related to split screen monitors and Chromebooks also increased, by 83% and 73%, respectively. Accessories that support work and study from home such as standing desks, laptop stands, and laptop webcams are also increasingly sought after.