How Are Industries Globally Embracing Video Communications?
Regional Pre-Pandemic Video Communications Usage Set the Stage for Today's Growth Figures
As we continue to adapt to new business environments one thing is clear: video communications is here to stay! At Vonage we’ve been following the global video usage of our Video API since the COVID-19 outbreak and the growth is massive. Here, we dig into the global nature of video usage trends highlighting the growth and the preparedness of the organizations and populations behind it.
Our latest video usage trends report provides a unique insight into the continued surge in video usage among Vonage customers, which rose 144 percent globally during the month of April compared to March. We’ve also seen regional differences in consumer attitudes toward video communications before the pandemic and organizations' video usage in those regions today. The consumer data comes from “The Vonage Global Customer Engagement Report, 2020,” a study based on a survey of 5,000 consumers across 14 countries.
"Organizations in every region worldwide have experienced a rapid growth in video usage, and as our initial report in March showed, organizations that embedded video service in their applications were more prepared to meet the demand and succeed in a very challenging environment," said Omar Javaid, President of the API Platform, Vonage. "Our new findings show that video usage continues to skyrocket, and that some regions are better prepared than others to contend with this increasing demand."
The Geography of Things
Asia Pacific (APAC) Region Sees Highest Growth in Vonage Video Minutes
Unsurprisingly, video chat usage has increased the most in the APAC region during April.
Most recently, organizations in the APAC region saw a 244% increase in Vonage video minutes in April compared to March and a 605% increase in April compared to February.
Video Chat Usage in the Americas Highlights Preparedness Differences
Differences in video usage rates exemplify diverse consumer populations in the Americas region.
The Americas have the highest increase in Vonage video minutes since January.
Overall Vonage video minutes in this region increased 157% in April compared to March and 843% in April compared to February.
Within this region, consumers in Latin America, in particular, have the most video chat experience with businesses and service providers.
Lack of Pre-COVID-19 Usage in UK, Europe Has Translated to Low Video Usage During Pandemic
March to April video usage showed slight growth in this region, a finding similar to low pre-pandemic video chat usage rates.
The EMEA region's 489% increase in video usage since January is the lowest among the three major global regions.
Vonage video usage increased just 86% in April compared to March and 553% in April compared to February.
"In comparing April video usage rates to pre-pandemic communications choices, we can see that of the most successful responses to the pandemic, preparedness and pre-existing adoption of video communications has led the way,” continued Javaid.
Across all regions, video usage continued to differ depending on the industry.
Industry Growth in Video Usage Continued to Balloon
The healthcare and media industries experienced the largest video usage growth in April compared to March.
In April, the healthcare industry saw a 186% increase in Vonage video minutes. The industry experienced a 2306% increase in April compared to February.
The media industry Vonage video usage grew 172% in April compared to March and 1033% from April compared to February.
The social industry realized a 107% growth in Vonage video usage in April, which reflected a 684% increase compared to February.
Technology organizations used 70% more Vonage video minutes in April, a 572% increase compared to February.
The business services sector used 80% more Vonage video minutes in April compared to March with a 490% increase in April compared to February.
The financial services industry used 48% more video in April, growth of 109% compared to February.
Education-industry companies experienced a 32% increase in April and a 92% increase compared to February.
Here is the full Second Edition. For the First Edition, see here.
Stay tuned for future editions of the Vonage "Video Trends & Benchmarks Report" where we will continue to provide updated benchmarks and insights into how organizations and the people they serve are leveraging video to stay productive in this new reality.
