According to a GlobalWebIndex survey conducted around the same time, 32% of US internet users ages 16 to 64 said they would be spending more time on hobbies and pastimes because of the pandemic. That was the same share who planned to spend more time on social media, and a slightly more common response than playing more video games.
According to data from Amazon ad buying tech provider Pacvue, a number of toy-, game-, crafting- and DIY-related search terms appeared in the top 200 on Amazon in April that normally don’t show up until Q4, including:
- Puzzles (and variants)
- Board games
- Paint-by-number kits
- Lego toys
- Balloons
- Sidewalk chalk
- Diamond painting
That translated into advertising opportunities for sellers of products in those categories and dramatic increases in ad spending compared with the same period last year. Pacvue clients in the toys and games category saw average daily ad spending on Amazon skyrocket in late March.
And ad spending growth in this category hasn’t happened only on Amazon. According to supply-side platform PubMatic, which tracks display advertising across its clients’ sites, advertisers in the hobbies and interests category spent 31.0% more between March 15 and 18 than they had two weeks earlier. And between March 25 and 31, hobby and interest-related ad spending was still up 30% vs. the first week of March.