The recent pneumonia outbreak in Mainland China has caused a massive demand for items such as facemasks and disinfectants, severely depleting supplies in most stores across the country. The increase in demand has caused some prices to spike in some areas. Fortunately, the country's largest e-commerce platforms have banded together to put a stop to the price hike by collectively vowing to effectively freeze prices throughout their online stores.
Chinese e-commerce giants Suning, JD.com, and Taobao announced on Tuesday that they will all be preventing any price hikes on their platforms while also ensuring non-stop delivery services starting this week up until the end of the Lunar New Year holiday season. The companies stated that it is the very least they could do to lessen public anxiety over the coronavirus outbreak that has so far killed 17 people.
The pledge came right after fears of massive price hikes and halted deliveries were expressed by the public as the medical items started to dry up in physical stores around the country. In demand items such as face masks, air filters, and disinfectants have apparently been running low at most drug stores in major cities across China.
Taobao published a post on Weibo announcing that they still do have a sufficient supply of masks to cater to everyone. The company also stated that they have already notified all sellers on their platforms against increasing the prices of their products. Alibaba also issued the same announcement, stating that it will be actively ensuring that customers receive authentic products at reasonable prices as there will likely be some sellers that will be taking advantage of the dire situation to make a quick buck.
Alibaba also vowed to ensure continued deliveries during the Lunar New Year holiday season, stating that customers from major cities can use the platform to search for items nearby and have them delivered right to their doorsteps if necessary. Suning also made the statement, assuring consumers that it has ample supply of items such as disinfectants, hand washes, air purifiers, and masks.
The unknown strain of the pneumonia-causing virus continues to wreak havoc in China, causing a nationwide scare of a possible uncontrollable outbreak. As of Wednesday this week, more than 440 cases have been reported across the country. The disease also comes at a very inopportune time as hundreds of millions of people are expected to travel home for the Lunar New Year holiday. The event is often described as the world's largest human migration; one that could potentially worsen the epidemic if it is not immediately kept in check.
