U.S. household use of video and conference call platforms such as Zoom and Slack saw the biggest jump week-over-week, as Americans switch from in-person to virtual business meetings and social gatherings, according to a new weekly tracker introduced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®.
 
The Weekly CTA Tech Use and Purchase Tracker: COVID-19 Impact monitors consumer use and purchase activity across technology categories including online services and devices, as millions of Americans stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Fielded April 3-5, 2020, key findings from the second week of CTA’s new tech use and purchase tracker include:

• Almost one-fifth (19%) of U.S. households used video and conference call platforms (such as Zoom and Slack) over the past week – up seven percentage points and the largest jump among all services.
• Almost three quarters (70%) of households used a streaming or download service - such as video, gaming or music services - to stay engaged, up from 66% last week.
• Household use of online education courses (13%), is up four percentage points from last week, as more kids begin distance learning.

“Americans are getting creative as they use tech devices and services to stay connected during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Lesley Rohrbaugh, director of research, CTA. “Not only are more Americans using video conference call platforms including Zoom and Slack at work – they’re using the platforms socially too, with a surge in virtual birthday parties, happy hours and game nights.”
 
Designed and formulated by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the Weekly CTA Tech Use and Purchase Tracker: COVID-19 Impact will be updated on Wednesdays and represents findings from a quantitative study administered to an online sample of a minimum of 1000 U.S. respondents. This week’s survey data was collected between April 3-5, 2020, and wave one of the survey data was collected between March 27-29, 2020.
 
For more information and to opt-in to receive updates, visit CTA.tech/techtracker.