FOOD, cooking appliances and baby supplies top the list of items Malaysians are buying online, as shops have been closed for the past six weeks due to the movement control order (MCO) enforced to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

Also on that list are women’s underwear, latex gloves, toiletries and heath supplements to help consumers maintain high levels of hygiene and to boost their immunity to the coronavirus, said e-commerce merchants and industry experts.

Traders told The Malaysian Insight the desire to stay healthy has also driven an uptick in sales of yoga mats, dumb-bells, skipping ropes and other home exercise equipment.

As most people are forced to work and attend school online from their homes, laptops and computer accessories, such as microphones, are also hot selling items.

E-commerce company Commerce.Asia said sales through online platforms saw a 149% jump in the first quarter of this year, compared to same period last year after the MCO was enforced on March 18.

“Online shopping is now the ‘new norm’. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in e-commerce businesses booming globally as people shift their spending habits to online platforms,” said Commerce.Asia founder and executive chairman Ganesh Kumar Bangah.

“E-commerce continues to be one of few industries that would thrive in such challenging circumstances,” Ganesh said.

Putrajaya imposed the MCO to break the chain of coronavirus transmissions that have infected 5,742 people in Malaysia as of April 25 and killed 98.

The MCO will now enter its fourth phase from April 29 to May 12.

Under the MCO, almost all retailers have been required to close except for restaurants and supermarkets that sell daily essentials.

E-commerce platforms and goods delivery services are also allowed to operate during the MCO.

As the MCO has kept almost all Malaysians at home, sites such as Shopee and Lazada have expanded their range of items and services to cater to consumers’ daily needs.

Shopee for instance launched a campaign called “Stay Home Essentials” that featured more than 20,000 commonly purchased products such as fresh and dry groceries, baby items, milk formula, nappies, toys, personal care products, household essentials, pet food and work-from-home equipment.

“Starting in February users are now able to purchase fresh produce such as vegetables, poultry, seafood, fruits from the platform and receive them it right at their doorstep,” said Shopee regional managing director Ian Ho.

Shopee has partnered with local farmers and fishermen groups to help sell their produce after the MCO shut down morning and night markets.

“We see a shift in the type of products Malaysians are now purchasing as more are shopping online for their daily necessities like fresh poultry, seafood, vegetables, rice, cooking oil, pasta, biscuits, flour, nappies and milk formula he added.

Due to the fact that more Malaysians are cooking at home, there has been a rise in air fryers, juice blenders, bread makers, rice cookers and electric ovens, said Ho.

A spokesperson for online shopping site Lazada echoed these observations, saying that utensils, appliances and materials for baking and bread-making has risen by 50% during the MCO.

“There is also a surge in purchases for coffee related products such milk frothers, which have doubled by more than 200%, followed by coffee machines, coffee beans and tea,” the Lazada spokesperson said.

“We also see an increasing demand for tele-conferencing and computer accessories, as Malaysians hunt for necessities on Lazada to create a more conducive and productive home-working environment.”

Other hot selling items according to Shopee’s Ho are disinfectants, hand sanitisers, surgical masks, antibacterial shower gel and hand wash, as well as exercise equipment such as yoga mat, skipping ropes and dumb-bells.

Sales of latex gloves saw a staggering 888% increase during the MCO, according to data compiled from e-commerce platforms, said Commerce.Asia’s Ganesh.

“While essential items such as food, toiletries and baby products surged in sales as expected, surprisingly, the fastest growing product transacted during the MCO was women’s underwear,” said Ganesh.

Sales of women’s underwear surged by 909% during the MCO, he added. – April 26, 2020.