Since Covid-19 pandemic arrived, the demand for in-house entertainment and facilities has been increasing, especially during the lockdown. Here are top 10 top selling products during the pandemic.
Home office furniture
Despite the fact that many office furniture suppliers have faced some hard times as they mostly rely on corporate customers, the reality is that Covid-19 has turned home office furniture into a growing industry. None of suppliers thought that there would be a flood of orders for a single adjustable desk for people working from home, who were struggling to conduct Zoom meetings from spare bedrooms.
Many furniture businesses have seen it as an opportunity to boost sales amid the pandemic by offering products for individuals. For example, after witnessing the increasing demand for home office furniture during the lockdown, the US office furniture company Steelcase decided to open more online stores in Asian markets, introducing its product range for people working remotely. The brand has also signed an exclusive distribution agreement with furniture brand Commune to expand its presence in the work-from-home market.
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Home PC
Another product made to the top selling list is personal computers. Sharing the same reason with home office furniture, the sales’ increase is a result of more people working from home during lockdowns. In New Zealand, approximately 217,000 units were sold in the second quarter of this year. The PC market in this country recorded approximately 40 per cent growth during the pandemic. In August, computer brand Hewlett-Packard or HP achieved sales $1 billion higher than it expected. These figures have illustrated the huge demand for personal computers during the Covid-19 pandemic, which makes it one of the top profitable products at the moment.
Cleaning products
Undoubtedly, cleaning and sanitizing products sales have been booming since the Covid-19 pandemic started. According to NCSolutions, spending on this segment has increased 34 per cent since the end of February, when the Covid-related worries began. Sales of hand sanitizer accounted for the highest gain in the category over the period with 838 per cent growth, followed by bar and liquid soap (+65 per cent) and antiseptics and disinfectants (+61 per cent).
As people are now more aware of the necessity of keeping their surrounding environments clean, especially during the pandemic, cleaning and sanitizing products will remain as one of the top selling sectors and become indispensable even during the post Covid-19 period.
Jigsaw puzzles
Since Covid-19, jigsaw puzzles have made their comeback as a new entertainment for people during the lockdown. “Jigsaw puzzle” recorded an average of 823,000 monthly searches on Google Trends, illustrating the high demand for this game.
According to one global research study, the jigsaw puzzle market sits at around $9.1 billion today, and expects a growth CAGR of 15.1 per cent by 2025. The game has gained popularity among both kids and adults.
Kitchenware
Cooking at home has become one of the major trends coming out of Covid-19 pandemic. People start to make their meals at home more often due to hygiene concerns and restaurant closure. Therefore, many businesses have seen the kitchenware market as a new opportunity to stay afloat amid pandemic. Many people have invested in new tools to upgrade their kitchen. Bakeware is the top selling sector as more people take up baking as their new habit during free time.
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Board game
Besides jigsaw puzzles, board games have also become one of the most popular entertainment choices during the pandemic. Board game reviewer Ella Ampongan, who also works for board game distributor VR Distribution, says board game sales doubled in March, when the pandemic started.
Board game conglomerate Hasbro said the company has seen an increasing demand for board games, especially Scrabble, Jenga, and Twister, as families were looking for entertainment and keep kids engaged.
“Sales of games and puzzles are up 46 per cent this year, as a lot of families loaded up on those,” said James Zahn,” said James Zahn, senior editor at trade magazine “The Toy Book”. “Retailers are being cautious about not being overstocked as they know they won’t be able to meet those sales numbers next year.”
Books
Book sector has also made its way to one of the best selling products in pandemic, despite stores temporarily closed down during the lockdown.
According to a BBC report, in the UK, fiction book sales surged by a third and children’s educational titles increased 234 per cent to the third-highest on record in the final week of March. Meanwhile, in the US, children’s non-fiction books recorded a 66 per cent increase in the weeking ending 21 March.
VR/ Nintendo Switches
Digital games, especially VR and Nintendo Switches, have recorded significant growth during the pandemic, making it one of the top selling products in the period.
VR games have taken over the world as a way for people to experience the new “ virtual reality” life while staying at home during the lockdown. VR games deliver the real world experience, ranging from traveling to joining concerts or even socialising with real people.
In June, American R&B star John Legend performed a major live show via the social VR platform Wave. The series was also joined by other artists including Tinashe.
Meanwhile, Nintendo Switches sales skyrocketed amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The Japanese video game company shipped more than 5.7 million Switch consoles in its fiscal first quarter, up 166.6 per cent year over year. As of June 30, lifetime-to-date sales of the Switch consoles reached 61.44 million units worldwide.
Fitness equipment
During the pandemic, most gyms and fitness centers were forced to shut down to prevent the spread of the Covid-19. As many people weren't able to continue exercising at these centers, they looked for alternative solutions - home fitness equipment. These equipment include large in-house machines such as exercise bikes, treadmills, or small one like yoga and pilates mats. Online exercise equipment suppliers have seen a sharp increase in sales as a result.
See: Wholesale Fitness Equipment
Facemask
Unquestionably, facemask is the most sold product during the Covid-19 pandemic. It not only serves an item for medical purposes but has and will become an indispensable item even in normal days. To meet the huge demand for the face mask, many major fashion retailers have also started manufacturing facemasks, including H&M, Uniqlo or high end labels such as Louis Vuitton.
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