The recently-ended 2020 saw Israelis home internet consumption jump 23% compared to 2019, according to a new report released by the Pelephone, Bezeq, and Yes communications providers.
The data from the report also showed a 36% rise in home Internet use during the Passover holiday; a 41% rise the week of Rosh Hashana (when Israel declared a second nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus); and a 40% spike during the week of Sukkot.
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On average, 2020 saw a 20% rise in internet use via smartphones, with Israelis consuming 2 more gigabytes worth of data each month than they did in 2019. The report said that until October 2020, each month of this past year saw Pelephone customers' smartphone internet usage break records.
In 2020, Israelis were also spending more time using their phones to hold actual conversations – 11% more voice calls took place in 2020 than in 2019. The increase in voice calls picked up early in 2020 when the COVID pandemic first hit Israel, and peaked during the High Holidays and the second lockdown, during which time Israelis spent 20% more time talking on the phone than they did at the same time in 2019.
At least some of the internet time was devoted to shopping, with many Israelis transitioning to online food orders instead of visiting supermarkets. Online orders with the country's major supermarket chains jumped by an average 20% throughout 2020, compared to 2019. When the first lockdown was declared in March 2020, online grocery shopping doubled. Even after businesses reopened, online grocery purchases were still up by 15% in 2020 compared to the previous year.
In addition to stocking the refrigerator through online orders, Israelis also upped their use of food delivery apps, which increased 92% in 2020 compared to 2019. In the last few weeks of August, use of food delivery apps grew by 230% compared to the previous year.
Appliance retailers also saw online customer traffic increase, with 20% more hits on their websites in 2020 than in 2019. The first major jump in this shopping sector came as Passover approached, bringing a 33% increase in customer traffic on appliance and electrical retailers' sites. Visits to these sites spiked again in November, which saw an increase of 50% in customer traffic.
While Israelis were busy shopping, they were buying less from international websites due to shipping delays caused by the COVID pandemic. Orders from international sites dropped by 11% in 2020. However, orders from international sellers picked up again in late November as Israelis took advantage of Black Friday deals.
Shopping wasn't the only thing Israelis were doing on line. Hungry for information about COVID, unemployment benefits, and related issues caused traffic on government ministry and healthcare websites to jump by 15% in comparison to 2019.
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Online dating took a hit in 2020, with usage of dating sites down 7% by May 2020 and down by 15% during the first two lockdowns. When the lockdown restrictions were eased, dating sites saw an uptick in use.
While dating was on hold, social media sites were busier than ever. Facebook saw a 15% increase in use, as did the Whatsapp messaging app. Twitter use jumped by 32% compared to 2020.
Interestingly, Israelis watched only 5% more television in 2020 than in 2019.
Dror Bahat, head of products, services, and digital marketing at Pelephone, Yes, and Bezeq International, said that "The year of COVID sent Israelis burrowing deep at home. We were stuck for various screens, we spent more time surfing, we talked more. Video chats and Zoom became a part of our daily routines.
"We discovered food delivery apps and spent a lot less time outside and on the roads. We all hope that in 2021 COVID will disappear from our lives forever, but it's already clear that its influence on our routines, the way in which we consume media and use the internet and various media outlets is here to stay," Bahat said.
