Home Delivery,
Before & After
COVID-19

We’re all homebodies these days.

 

All of the errands that used to get us out of the house are coming to us, instead. The delivery services we know and love skyrocketed and new delivery categories emerged.

 

We used Helixa's AI-powered technology to analyze observed online behavior here and abroad, to better understand this trend. See how home delivery became one of the best bets in business.

 

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We traded IRL shopping carts for the digital equivalent

In the 12 weeks after March 11th, all three major delivery organizations in the U.S. see a significant bump in social engagement.

 

A closer look shows that USPS has seen the biggest increase, by far.

  • 1172%+


    USPSUSPS
  • 189%+


    FEDEXFEDEX
  • 160%+


    UPSUPS

But, was this upward trend seen on a global scale?

 

Short answer: yes.

Some interesting differences emerge when comparing the percent change after 4 weeks to the 12-week mark. For example, USPS built on their initial gains and then saw an even bigger jump as we reach the 12-week mark.

USPS Logo-crop

USPS

+376%

(4 weeks into pandemic)


+1171%

(12 weeks into pandemic)
Canada Post - Logo

Canada Post

+237%

(4 weeks into pandemic)


+217%

(12 weeks into pandemic)
Royal Mail - Logo

Royal Mail

+70%

(4 weeks into pandemic)


+45%

(12 weeks into pandemic)
Australia Post - Logo v2

Australia Post

+44%

(4 weeks into pandemic)


+86%

(12 weeks into pandemic)

Don't worry we didn't forget about the giant in the room.


Amazon - Logo v1

Global engagement with Amazon reveals a similar trend with some key differences.

While the U.S. and Canada similarly saw more gains during COVID-19, that engagement increase didn’t stay level through the 12-week period, as it did with the national postal services.

American Flag - v2-1

America

+142%
(4 weeks into pandemic)

+51%
(12 weeks into pandemic)

image (17)-1

Canada

+124% 
(4 weeks into pandemic)

+65%
(12 weeks into pandemic)

UK Flag - v1-1

United Kingdom

+20% 
(4 weeks into pandemic)

+16%
(12 weeks into pandemic)

Australia Flag - v1-1

Australia

+28% 
(4 weeks into pandemic)

-3%
(12 weeks into pandemic)

Shipping wasn’t the only type of delivery
that skyrocketed during quarantine...

 

Despite pre-quarantine popularity, social engagement with restaurant

delivery apps jumped as people did their best to safely support their favorite spots.

  • 171%+


    UberEats
    UberEats


  • 125%+


    DoorDash


    DoorDash




  • 64%+


    GrubHub

    GrubHub
  • 19%+


    Postmates

    Postmates


But it looks like you can’t build an entire diet on takeout.

 

Instacart saw huge gains, even at the 12-week mark, as the entire nation tried to stock up on sourdough ingredients at the same time.

Instacart - Logo v1

Helixa - COVID BEFORE AND AFTER

(4 weeks into pandemic)

Helixa - COVID BEFORE AND AFTER

(12 weeks into pandemic)

Alcohol delivery gets its moment.

 

As part of another relatively lesser-known category, these services saw significant, sustained gains during the 12 weeks following March 11.


We can’t imagine why...

Winc Logo

+350%

WINC
Drizly - Logo v1

+288%

DRIZLY

Market Research for the 21st Century

 

ABOUT HELIXA 

We leverage responsible AI and machine learning to deliver audience insights with more depth and detail than you would ever get from a single source platform - all in minutes.


Our mission is to help our clients and partners connect in a more meaningful way with the audiences that matter most to them.


If you’re ready to spend less time searching and more time thinking, let's talk.

Methodology