Consumers at a shopping mall in Kunming, capital of Southwest China’s Yunnan Province, on Saturday Photo: IC

 
“Let's fight the epidemic and live a sexy 'home' life!” read a promotional advertisement for an online store that sells adult toys on China’s e-commerce platform Taobao.

Some Chinese netizens were found making jokes that the novel coronavirus  pneumonia (NCP) outbreak may boost demand for adult products as people tend to have more sex while spending considerable time indoors.

A Global Times survey of some online retail stores showed demand for adult products is huge, yet no greater than usual.

“The demand has been amounting as always,” a customer service representative of a well-known adult product shop on T-Mall told the Global Times on Monday.

With 1.5 million followers, the store sells lingerie, condoms and other adult toys. A bestseller on their website sold 20,000 units last month.

The store said it has resumed deliveries though it may take two days to ship orders from their warehouse due to the delayed resumption of work and traffic control. However, deliveries to Central China’s Hubei Province, the epicenter of the deadly virus, has not been resumed.

“I am so grateful the frontline delivery workers are working during this time,” commented a customer after receiving his order.

Another store selling adult toys is based in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province. It also confirmed with the Global Times that business “has been as good as it was this time last year.”

A bestselling product on its website recorded sales of 30,000 units last month.

An expert believes the NCP may make some people want to have more sex, though it varies from person to person.

“I think it just works for some people. Some people may resort to sexual activities to relieve anxiety when sequestered at home, and adult toys may help when people are not very in touch with each other. Others may totally lose interest in sex due to anxiety,” Chen Yaya, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.