UK and US hit hardest by stock shortages

Millions are facing issues with getting food and other household supplies. The problem is particularly stark in the UK and US, where over half of people can’t get the items they usually purchase.

We found this out using Brandwatch Qriously, our mobile survey tool. We’ll be tracking a range of issues across Europe, America, and Asia as the pandemic continues.

Empty shelves and panicked buyers have hit the headlines across the world, with toilet paper becoming like gold dust. Meanwhile, we’ve seen unscrupulous hoarding and price gouging.

To combat it supermarkets have been forced to bring in measures to restrict stockpiling. We’ll revisit this in next week’s survey data to see if they’ve worked.

Viva la tech revolution: Local food delivery mentions jump 1057%

As social distancing becomes increasingly commonplace, reliance on online delivery platforms has skyrocketed.

In the last seven days, mentions of local food delivery increased 1057% in the States, while mentions around supporting local take out businesses jumped up 2030%. Meanwhile English-language mentions of local food delivery in Europe increased to 630%.

Since social distancing measures have begun in the UK and US, Amazon mentions hit 107K; but sentiment segmented conversation was 84% negative, owing to a lack of stock, and steep price increases for coveted items. But, the one-day-delivery giant wasn’t the only big player seeing consumers rely on them.

Instacart, Walmart Grocery, and Shipt saw record downloads, and Blue Apron, a meal kit delivery service, stock jumped to 70% on Tuesday, according to OneZero.

Companies already well-placed for deliveries could see a boost as isolation takes hold (as long as people have enough money to order from them). For those not well-placed, it might be time for them to pivot to get a piece of the (home-delivered) pie.

Employment discussion up 361% as some brands look to hire

Businesses continue to struggle and fold as air travel shuts down and people opt to socially distance, resulting in large numbers of layoffs.

English-speaking social mentions discussing employment totalled 887K since January 2020. There were 580k unique users discussing the topic, an increase of 361% compared to the last three months of 2019.

But surprisingly, 25% of these mentions were classified as joyful. A big part of this is from retailers trying to plug the gap with offers of temporary employment during the crisis.

In the UK, food retailers Sainsbury’s, Co-op, and Morrisons were hot topics of discussion in this area with 1.7k positive mentions. They’re currently offering temporary employment to keep shelves stocked in the midst of panic buying.

Over in the US, Amazon and Kroger saw a similar response, with 2.7k positive mentions around their hiring drive.

There is a major opportunity for corporations to step-up and fill the work gap with temporary employment opportunities. Social mentions around these attempts have been overwhelmingly positive so far, suggesting they’re a smart step.

You can check out our blog on panic buying here.

The pandemic has been a tough time for many. Businesses are struggling, offices are closing, and people are losing their jobs. But despite all that, we spotted a change.

Since March 13, the most common emotion among English-language mentions has been joy, and its lead has been growing, reaching a peak yesterday.

What’s going on?

People are rallying together in the face of a crisis. From mass singing on balconies to mutual aid groups forming to support local communities, the message of hope is beginning to shine through.

The world isn’t taking this lying down.

With the news being all doom and gloom, it looks like social media is becoming the place to share feel good stories during the pandemic and show their support for the people keeping them safe, healthy, and fed. A port in the storm as we all try to process an event we never thought we’d have to face.

Whatever the next few days, weeks, and months have in store for us, there will always be some joy, positivity, and togetherness to be found online.

Want more Covid-19 data?

As well as these daily bulletins, Brandwatch has also opened up free access to a Covid-19 global dashboard in Insight Central.

Looking at trends, demographics, and press coverage, it’s the perfect way to get a worldwide picture of how the planet is responding to Covid-19.

Take a look here

Thanks for reading

We hope you enjoyed the first bulletin. We’ll be iterating and updating with each one, aiming to make them as useful and informative as possible.

If you have any questions, feel free to send us an email. Know someone who wants these bulletins too? Send them to this link

Keep safe, and see you on Monday.

Many thanks,

Brandwatch Response Team