The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommends wearing of cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. As a result, the Etsy marketplace announced a concerted effort to put sellers on the fast-track to meet demand for fabric, non-medical face masks. The move represents another example of businesses helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Etsy Face Masks
Over the weekend of April 4 – 6, buyers made more than 2 million searches for such face masks on Etsy. The average works out to be nine times per second.
In just one week in April, the popular marketplace site saw a daily three-time increase in the number of Etsy shops selling face masks. And the number of sellers offering such products increased five-fold in the last two weeks to almost 20,000 sellers.
During the same two-week period, “face mask” became the most frequently made search term on Etsy.
The marketplace also witnessed an increased demand for home comfort products. These help ease the pain of the lockdown. And they include such items as candles, spa kits, moisturizer, wall art, DIY kits, bar cart items and tops and tees.
The demand for specific products on Etsy shows opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs. The outbreak of COVID-19 detrimentally impacted many small businesses. But others meet these emerging needs and see growth.
Demand Represents an Opportunity
In a blog post, Etsy’s CEO, Josh Silverman, noted the increasing demand for face masks in the US. And he hinted at the opportunity such demand creates for online sellers.
“While tens of thousands of sellers have already augmented their product offerings to include fabric face masks, demand will very likely outpace our sellers’ existing supply. That’s why we are continuing to let sellers know that those with the skill and materials may want to consider creating and selling face masks on Etsy.
“We believe that the Etsy community is uniquely positioned to address this crucial need during a global health crisis. We hope that increasing the availability of fabric, non-medical grade face masks from Etsy sellers will allow more medical and surgical masks to reach the people who need them most: front-line healthcare workers,” Josh Silverman wrote.
The COVID-19 pandemic escalates around the world. Meanwhile demand for different types of items significantly increases. The CDC face mask representation represents just one example. The demand for home comfort products represents another opportunity. Small businesses and individuals who sell online need to keep their eye on changing product demands. And they must modify their product offering accordingly. Meet these demands and help keep people safe and comfortable during these unprecedented times.
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