by Julia Pierrepont III
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The outbreak of COVID-19 is having a dramatic effect on e-commerce online sales in the United States, with some sectors seeing items flying off the virtual shelves.
Sales are mostly concentrated in the health and wellness arena.
"We usually see a 30-percent drop-off in our online sales during the Chinese New Year," a general manager of a trending U.S. online site RebatesMe's told Xinhua.
Rick Parada worked out of the company's office in Shanghai before relocating to their office in Pasadena, California.
RebatesMe.com offers consumers up-to-date price comparisons and cashback when they buy fashion, electronics, cosmetics and other goods through their site, and usually at a substantial discount.
"But because of the outbreak and the Chinese government's extension of the Chinese New Year's holiday, consumers were stuck at home and not allowed to go to the office, so we noticed our numbers going up this year, not down," he explained to Xinhua.
Its Chinese founder, Daniel Dai, who used to work for Paypal doing cross-border accounts, launched the site to cater to Chinese shoppers who want to get quality American products shipped to them by freight forwarders that don't require costly import permits.
"Chinese consumers like our site because it is in English and Mandarin and they can use Alipay, which most American sites don't offer," said Parada. "And we promote a lot of our U.S. deals on Wechat and Weibo."
During the outbreak, Chinese buyers have been hitting their site not just for luxury brand clothes, bags and shoes, but for health products and vitamins, especially Vitamin C, which is used to minimize colds and respiratory ailments.
This is far from a unique trend. A survey released by Suning.com, a Chinese e-commerce firm, reported sales of Wewin disinfectant surged 2,561 percent and Dettol's rose 643 percent over last year. Air purifying systems leapt 2,100 percent and disposable glove sales went up 674 percent, while masks sales have surged so dramatically that there are continuing problems keeping them in stock.
Recently, a number of eBay sellers have also jumped on the bandwagon to list "Coronavirus kits" for sale. The cheaper versions typically include respirator masks, a fluid-resistant throwaway jacket, and air purifiers. More comprehensive ones, such as a listing for 21.99 U.S. dollars which was purported to offer "full body protection," bundled more protective products together, and included a 3M mask, a disposable poly coverall, splash-resistant goggles, nitrile gloves, hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes, and a biohazard bag for clinical waste.
Marketwatch.com reported that Honeywell, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in the United States with a large division that specializes in protective face masks and safety products, was experiencing "a surge in demand" from their online vendors in China, North America, and Europe. In China, they sell online through JD.com and TMALL.com, and elsewhere on Amazon.com.
"We are increasing production at multiple facilities globally, and we are fulfilling all current orders," a Honeywell spokesman said.
Vanexxe, a topical skin cream that reduces the appearance of bulging varicose veins, has also seen a sales increase.
"Our product is not related in any way to the virus nor to treating it, but we think so many people in China stuck at home are spending more time shopping online and found it," CEO of Canyon Create, Campbell McAuley, told Xinhua. "We have seen an uptick in our online orders since the outbreak. It's definitely moved the needle on our sales volume in China."
"But our Chinese consumers are not just numbers or revenue streams to us. We feel for them and appreciate the seriousness of their situation and send them our heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery during this difficult time," he added.
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The outbreak of COVID-19 is having a dramatic effect on e-commerce online sales in the United States, with some sectors seeing items flying off the virtual shelves.
Sales are mostly concentrated in the health and wellness arena.
"We usually see a 30-percent drop-off in our online sales during the Chinese New Year," a general manager of a trending U.S. online site RebatesMe's told Xinhua.
Rick Parada worked out of the company's office in Shanghai before relocating to their office in Pasadena, California.
RebatesMe.com offers consumers up-to-date price comparisons and cashback when they buy fashion, electronics, cosmetics and other goods through their site, and usually at a substantial discount.
"But because of the outbreak and the Chinese government's extension of the Chinese New Year's holiday, consumers were stuck at home and not allowed to go to the office, so we noticed our numbers going up this year, not down," he explained to Xinhua.
Its Chinese founder, Daniel Dai, who used to work for Paypal doing cross-border accounts, launched the site to cater to Chinese shoppers who want to get quality American products shipped to them by freight forwarders that don't require costly import permits.
"Chinese consumers like our site because it is in English and Mandarin and they can use Alipay, which most American sites don't offer," said Parada. "And we promote a lot of our U.S. deals on Wechat and Weibo."
During the outbreak, Chinese buyers have been hitting their site not just for luxury brand clothes, bags and shoes, but for health products and vitamins, especially Vitamin C, which is used to minimize colds and respiratory ailments.
This is far from a unique trend. A survey released by Suning.com, a Chinese e-commerce firm, reported sales of Wewin disinfectant surged 2,561 percent and Dettol's rose 643 percent over last year. Air purifying systems leapt 2,100 percent and disposable glove sales went up 674 percent, while masks sales have surged so dramatically that there are continuing problems keeping them in stock.
Recently, a number of eBay sellers have also jumped on the bandwagon to list "Coronavirus kits" for sale. The cheaper versions typically include respirator masks, a fluid-resistant throwaway jacket, and air purifiers. More comprehensive ones, such as a listing for 21.99 U.S. dollars which was purported to offer "full body protection," bundled more protective products together, and included a 3M mask, a disposable poly coverall, splash-resistant goggles, nitrile gloves, hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes, and a biohazard bag for clinical waste.
Marketwatch.com reported that Honeywell, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in the United States with a large division that specializes in protective face masks and safety products, was experiencing "a surge in demand" from their online vendors in China, North America, and Europe. In China, they sell online through JD.com and TMALL.com, and elsewhere on Amazon.com.
"We are increasing production at multiple facilities globally, and we are fulfilling all current orders," a Honeywell spokesman said.
Vanexxe, a topical skin cream that reduces the appearance of bulging varicose veins, has also seen a sales increase.
"Our product is not related in any way to the virus nor to treating it, but we think so many people in China stuck at home are spending more time shopping online and found it," CEO of Canyon Create, Campbell McAuley, told Xinhua. "We have seen an uptick in our online orders since the outbreak. It's definitely moved the needle on our sales volume in China."
"But our Chinese consumers are not just numbers or revenue streams to us. We feel for them and appreciate the seriousness of their situation and send them our heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery during this difficult time," he added.
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