As millions of people around the globe are urged to stay indoors to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, American e commerce giant Amazon has seen a bulk increase in orders for the past weeks.
People, especially those placed under lockdowns, have turned to Amazon to buy almost anything they need from groceries to toiletries and even pet treats.
However, the ecommerce titan said that it will provisionally suspend the delivery of other non-essentials items until April 5 in order to prioritize medical supplies and household staples which are urgently needed in this time of crisis.
“We are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so we can more quickly receive, restock and ship these products to customers,” the company said.
In an email to sellers, Amazon said it will only process shipment of six categories such as baby product; health and household (including personal-care appliances); beauty and personal care; grocery; industrial and scientific and pet supplies.
Meanwhile, analysts say that Amazon now serves like a “hero” as it becomes the go-to site of people who are afraid to go out of their households due to the virus threat. Thus, it could win more users worldwide as the quarantines and lockdowns are continuously implemented.
It is now taking drastic actions to address logistical challenges as some items are out of stock due to the to the significant increase in orders especially from the United States.
“Amazon has struggled to keep up with demand on essential items, so this move will allow them to focus more available resources to meet this increased demand, said” Steven Yates, CEO of Prime Guidance, an agency that helps Amazon sellers.
Earlier, the company has vigilantly crack down on price gouging and blocked new sellers believed to have stockpiled face masks, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes and other coronavirus-related products.
“It looks like Amazon is shutting most of them down, and doing it in a very visible fashion to send a message to others about gouging,” said Rob Enderle, an analyst of US-based Enderle Group.
