Fashion, exercise and deliveries spearhead spike in .UK domain registrations in lockdown

30th July 2020


  • According to Nominet’s domain registration data, website registrations increased by 12% in April compared to March
  • Delivery service registrations soar by 78% in lockdown
  • Fashion related website registrations increased by 28%, exercise by 23% and food and drink by 22%

Nominet, the tech company responsible for the .UK domain, today reveals trends on how the nation has embraced being online in the face of lockdown. Categorising new registrations by the words appearing in domain names indicated that registrations related to delivery services soared by 78% compared to pre-lockdown – reflecting many businesses quickly adapting their business model to survive a rapidly changing consumer landscape.

As the wider economic impact hit, for the first time in eight years April saw record numbers of newly registered domains (147,706), as well as a 12% (15,946) increase compared to registrations over the previous month in March. Numbers of new registrations have continued to rise through May and June.

Insights

  • Fashion (28%), exercise (23%) and food and drink (22%) related domains saw some of the biggest increases in website registrations.
  • There has also been a 20% increase in registrations by individuals suggesting an enterprising response to COVID-19 as people took their hobbies online.
  • Small businesses pivoted to selling their products and services online as premises closed. Indeed, daily registrations of domains that highlight they are “online”, “virtual” or “live” more than doubled over this period.
  • Domains related to learning have been steadily rising since lockdown as children were home-schooled. This peaked in early May when the government announced that schools would soon be opening their doors to some children again, but remains 20% higher than levels before lockdown.
  • Registrations of websites with traditional-business related terms (like ‘consultancy’ and ‘limited’) fell by 60% from February to March due to economic uncertainty, however these had returned to normal levels by the end of May.
  • Registrations of construction related websites fell by 25%, suggesting a slowdown in new business ventures as building work and the supplies required slowed. In addition to this, as people embraced DIY throughout lockdown, the number of handyman and decorator related domains fell by 14%.
  • PPE related websites unsurprisingly increased just after the Government announced the need for more supplies and slowed towards the end of May. At the beginning of March there were 10 .UK registrations a day related to keywords around hygiene and management of the virus, including ‘virus’, ‘hygiene’, and ‘distancing’, rising to around 200 a day on March 23rd.

Nominet has also stepped up checks in new registrations to mitigate against fraudulent activity during the pandemic. This includes adding new search terms into checks on new registrations to catch those with malintent. To date Nominet has placed 3,274 domains related to COVID-19 on hold at the point of registration pending further registrant checks. Over 1,200 of these domains have now passed due diligence and are now registered in the namespace. Seven domains have been suspended from criminal activity related to COVID-19.

Eleanor Bradley, MD Registry & Public Benefit, Nominet said: “In the face of adversity, it has been really encouraging to see such an enterprising spirit when looking at trends in new domain registrations, despite so many unknowns. The spikes we’ve seen across a variety of sectors is testament to people pivoting their businesses and interests to operate virtually during lockdown, and will have provided comfort to many business owners and their customers as well as helping support the economy.

“But the safety and security of everyone catapulted into a new world online is also something we take very seriously, and as guardian of the namespace we’ve been keeping a very keen eye on ‘covid’ and ‘coronavirus’ related domains too. Adding new search terms into our domain registration checks to quickly suspend any we think may be used for fraudulent purposes has been key in preventing criminals taking advantage of people in the wake of the pandemic as they search for information and products online from legitimate sources. Like many businesses that have had to adjust to a new way of working, we have had to as well, to ensure we keep both businesses and individuals safe online, our number one priority.”

-ENDS-

Editor’s notes:

Methodology

Registrations containing related keywords are compared between a 4-week period in February and a 4-week average over the period 9th March to 28th June (16 weeks).

Media Contacts
Lizzy Batchelor Seven Hills
+44 7818509655
[email protected]

About Nominet

Nominet is driven by a commitment to use technology to improve connectivity, security and inclusivity online. For over 20 years, Nominet has run the .UK internet infrastructure, developing an expertise in the Domain Name System (DNS) that now underpins sophisticated network detection and response solutions that are used by governments and enterprises to mitigate cyber threats. Our public benefit programme aims to improve the lives of one million people, providing support and opportunities to tackle some of the most important digital issues facing young people today. www.nominet.uk/.

Nominet Lockdown Registrations Infographic

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Desktop screen promoting Our Digital lifelines during lockdown