Due to Covid-19 lockdowns, deodorant sales declined, and ice cream sales soared.
100 Mind-Blowing Covid Facts
Amazon Prime Members Stats Just Keep Climbing. Launched as a membership service for Amazon patrons in 2005, Prime boasts 214.43 million international users and remains the most-visited U.S. multi-platform in the U.S., serving 98 million active users every month. Niches driving Prime traffic are Amazon Music (16.46 million users) and Prime Video (46.3 million). Members spent $1400 annually on goods and services driven by offers of discounted pricing and free shipping. Expanding its media influence, Amazon Studios has begun to rack up Emmy Award nominations for original productions available only to members. During Covid lockdowns, an estimated 37% of Prime members bought food and beverages from Amazon.
The Video Streaming Market is Exploding. To stream or not to stream? Even Shakespeare couldn’t have envisioned the scope of this phenomenon. Streaming was projected to become a 70.05-billion-dollar industry by 2021, but that number was likely surpassed when COVID-19 quarantines restricted entertainment options. Anticipated CAGR of 18.3% is likely under-reported and product variety isn’t the only reason streaming is so popular. Businesses using streaming technology as marketing and advertising tools — led by high-profile platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu — offer viewers a smorgasbord of options that are especially appreciated by smartphone and tablet users.
Record-breaking vaccine. The record for a vaccine to be developed and licensed was four years. The record holder was the mumps vaccine which was licensed in 1967. Following the UK government’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 in early December 2020, that record is now just under 11 months.
Cybercrime has Increased by 600% Since Covid-19. According to a Cybersecurity Ventures report, there has been a staggering 600% increase in cyberattacks since the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some possible reasons include the rise in remote working, the rise in malware, and the rise in online activity.
27 per cent of COVID-19 cyberattacks target banks or healthcare organisations and COVID-19 was credited for a 238 per cent rise in cyberattacks on banks in 2020. (Carbon Black)
Americans lost more than $97.39 million to COVID-19 and stimulus check scams. (Atlas VPN)
52 per cent of legal and compliance leaders are concerned about third-party cyber risks due to remote work since COVID-19. (Gartner)
In 2020 hackers sold over 500,000 Zoom passwords on the dark web (Forbes): Criminals will often take advantage of events happening in the world, the concerns of their targets, and the vulnerability of society to make money. This was particularly evident in 2020 when countless hackers started sending COVID-themed phishing emails to attempt to hack personal and business accounts. Forbes reported in April 2020 that hackers stole and sold over 500,000 passwords for the popular video-conferencing tool, Zoom, which ended up on the dark web. The information included personal user names too.
Global debt is dangerously high: The current global debt figure reached a record $303 trillion in 2021 according to the Institute of International Finance. This was a huge jump from the $226 trillion figure in 2020, representing the biggest one-year debt surge since the Second World War. The World Bank says that our current world debt wave is the fourth since 1970 and is a result of various factors including Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine.