In terms of public awareness of what’s needed to help stop the spread of the virus, this is a win for everyone.

Working from home essentials

Perhaps the quickest and most dramatic change of 2020 was home working. The pandemic forced many of us out of our (often gross) offices and into our home offices — or, at least, onto our couches.

In fact, mentions of home working increased 505% in 2020 compared to the average number across 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Desks and tables clocked up 481k mentions on social media, as people hunted for recommendations or shared images of their makeshift desks. This was followed by computers (389k mentions) and chairs (292k mentions).

We also found 907k mentions of back, neck, and eye pain, within work from home conversation. These are key drivers for people investing in more suitable desks, chairs, and computer equipment. A recent Brandwatch study found that 64% of consumers who work from home have either made a purchase to improve their home-working experience, or plan to soon.

Triumph in tech

Mentions of technology products — from TVs to smartphones to games consoles — increased 32% in the last eleven months compared to the same period in 2019.

Conversation about laptops and PCs were up 27% in the last eleven months compared to the same period in 2019. People relied on social media for recommendations about products, and also asked for advice on finding a computer after demand soared and many went out of stock.

Phone mentions increased 17% in the last eleven months compared to the same period in 2019, emphasizing how much consumers prioritized connection in 2020.

Meanwhile, conversation about TVs and games consoles increased 34% and 66% respectively, an indication of the need for entertainment this year while staying home. Games console interest was driven by lockdown hits like Animal Crossing, as well as next-gen console releases.

Find out more about how consumer’s tech needs changed in 2020 in our new, free report.

Home comforts

With lockdowns and stay-at-home orders in place at various points around the world, people took to social media this year to discuss how they were making their home environments as functional and as pleasant as possible.

This has unexpectedly made house plants the unsung hero of 2020. House plant conversation has remained high throughout the pandemic, and we covered the most popular kinds here.

Online conversations about home DIY, gardening, and home organization have fallen since the beginning of the outbreak, but mentions have remained above pre-pandemic levels.

Surprising and flammable

Is there anything cheaper and easier than a candle to restore some zen?

Consumers don’t think so. We found that, unlike many products on this list that saw a rise and decline, candle conversation has continued to increase by an average of 34% month-on-month in 2020.

And, according to Google Trends data, worldwide search interest in candles just reached a five year high, coinciding with end of the year celebrations.

Get more in-depth data

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Thanks for reading

That’s it for today, we’ll be back on Friday with our last bulletin of the year. Don’t miss it by subscribing here.

Stay safe,

Brandwatch React Team