(Keywords) Such as children's Vitamin D, Indonesian quarantine, then lip serum (were the most searched). Maybe it's because they rarely left the house, so consumers cared more about lip moisture than color. Then, virtual showrooms and also games like
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Google has said it recorded 21 million new Internet users in Indonesia, mostly from non-metro areas, a sign that people are beginning to adapt to digital technology.



During an online discussion on Tuesday, head of ads marketing at Google Indonesia, Yolanda Sastra, said that in 2021, more and more people shifted to digital technology for consumption and access to items that were rendered otherwise inaccessible due to community activity restrictions.



These developments indicate that people have begun to adapt to a hybrid lifestyle, she said. This could also be seen from search queries, which recorded the highest increase in 2021, she added.



“(Keywords) Such as children's Vitamin D, Indonesian quarantine, then lip serum (were the most searched). Maybe it's because they rarely left the house, so consumers cared more about lip moisture than color. Then, virtual showrooms and also games like Among Us (were also popular searches),” Sastra said.


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A recent Google report further revealed that beauty and personal care queries recorded an increase, with the number of searches rising 133 percent for “ceramides” and more than 30-fold for “bakuchiol,” she noted. Queries on men's grooming were also popular, with searches for "male serum" rising by 57 percent and “men's facial wash” by 62 percent, she added.



Search queries in the financial sector also recorded an increase, Sastra informed. For example, queries on "learning investment’ hiked by 83 percent and "investment applications” by 70 percent, she said. Meanwhile, searches for "plant-based" food and beverages rose 233 percent and "low-fat milk" 69 percent, she added.



In media and entertainment, searches for “mabar online" (online multiplayer gaming sessions) rose by 70 percent, "video game walkthroughs" by 30 percent, and topics related to e-sports competitions by 200 percent, she said.


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Queries in the technology sector also increased, with "mobile phone recommendations" (up 38 percent) and "electronics recommendations" (up 78 percent) emerging as the most searched keywords, she added.



The number of searches also increased significantly in the travel and transportation sector, with the number of searches for “electric cars” rising 54 percent, “car emissions" 85 percent, and "environmentally friendly vehicles” 230 percent.



"2021 was a year to adapt to the changes that were taking place and to re-evaluate what was important to us as individuals and as inhabitants of the earth," Sastra remarked.

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"Indonesians not only opened Google to seek for ideas and inspiration, but also to understand the changes and challenges presented by the pandemic. This report can really assist brands and marketers identify the grand shifts in consumer behavior and what to know in the future,” she added.

Translator: Lifia M P, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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