Digital Engagement in the US Hit a Six-Month High in April

Now that mask mandates and travel restrictions are lifting, consumers are going online more, not less.

Forty-three percent of consumers reported engaging regularly in digital-first activities during April — a higher level of digital engagement than was observed in the previous five months, according to “The ConnectedEconomy™ Monthly Report,” a PYMNTS study based on a survey of 2,658 U.S. consumers.

Get the report: The ConnectedEconomy™ Monthly Report

Greater shares of consumers engaged in digital activities related to eight of the pillars of the ConnectedEconomy™ identified by PYMNTS in April than in the previous five months.

Among the examples of specific activities consumers did more in April than in prior months are several having to do with ordering groceries online.

In April, 39% of consumers selected and purchased groceries online and picked them up curbside, 38% selected and purchased groceries online and had them delivered to their home, 34% selected and purchased groceries online and picked them up inside the store, 34% used a same-day delivery website such as Instacart and 32% received groceries or meal kits from an online subscription that delivers on a regular basis.

Each of those percentages was higher than those seen in previous months.

Similarly, in 10 of the 11 digital travel and commute-related activities tracked by PYMNTS for this report, consumers did them more in April than in the prior months.

Only one of the activities in this category — using a website or app to monitor traffic or locate the best routes — saw a lower rate of engagement than had been seen in any of the prior months.

This survey dismantles the myth of a post-pandemic “return to normal.” Far from bringing the digital transformation to a grinding halt, PYMNTS’ latest research shows that consumers are increasingly integrating digital into their physical experiences.