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Online retailers report increase in family product sales

As residents across the UAE practice the social distancing initiatives launched to curb the spread of the coronavirus, online retailers have reported an increase in the sale of family products including smart phones, laptops, and baby items.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Helmut Bracun, general manager of Classifieds at dubizzle, noted that with people increasingly staying at home, whether due to schools, nurseries, and offices being closed, or due to the social distancing directives from the government to curb the spread of COVID-19, there has been a spike in online shopping - groceries, home essentials or items to entertain children at home - to get them through this period.
"Over the past few weeks, we have noticed some interesting trends emerging when it comes to items being searched for and sold on dubizzle," he said. "There was an increase in interest for baby items by 3.7 per cent, home appliances by 2.7 per cent, as well as mobile phones and tablets by 2.4 per cent when comparing the data from February 26 to March 7 with the data from March 8 to March 18."
He added that on the supply side, which covers the items posted for sale, the portal has seen an increase in people listing their items for sale across certain categories as well. These include home appliances, which saw a 4.8 per cent increase, electronics which saw a 4.6 per cent increase and mobile phones and tablet postings which rose by 3.7 per cent.
Jessica Ashford, deputy CEO at PRO Partner Group, also identified an increase in online sales and said that residents are stocking up on various supplies and certain items such as antibacterial gel and wipes. "I would certainly imagine that we will see an increase in online sales and less in store shopping. Face masks and hand sanitizer sales have certainly increased with many suppliers selling out."
Retailers have also stepped up their efforts to ensure that residents have access to several essential hygiene products. Supermarket chain, Lulu, has confirmed that they are sourcing 1.6 million pieces of face masks daily on average and their stores as well as warehouses have adequate stock of these masks, gloves and sanitisers.
rohma@khaleejtimes.com