Coronavirus sends bidet sales soaring amid toilet paper shortages
With toilet paper shortages, more people are investing in bidets
Bidet sales are up amid toilet paper shortages as consumers stock up with the widespread coronavirus outbreak.
A slew of bidet home hygiene product companies have seen sales spikes as toilet paper becomes a scarcity with some stores limiting customers from buying it in bulk.
Bidet sales are up with continued toilet paper shortages. (iStock).
Bio Bidet has seen more than $250,000 in sales in a 24-hour period just on Amazon, TMZ reports. The search term "bidet" on Amazon is also reportedly one of the top 10 most-searched items for the online retailer.
WHY IS TOILET PAPER VANISHING FROM SUPERMARKETS
The bidet, a staple in European toilets where jets of water clean users serving as an alternative hygiene method to toilet paper, is now gaining traction in America as the spread of coronavirus has many consumers considering practical alternatives when toilet tissue is unavailable. Health experts suggest that using a bidet is a cleaner washing method than using toilet paper alone, and can even prevent certain infections.
The products, however, don't come cheap – Bio Bidet's Ultimate 770 Round Smart toilet seat is selling on Amazon for $400. The company's $59 SlimEdge toilet attachment that connects directly to a freshwater supply is already sold out on Amazon.
And direct-to-consumer bidet startup Tushy, which sells $79 bidets that can be attached to toilets, has also seen revenue triple in the past week, CEO Jason Ojalvo told Crunchbase.
"I think it's definitely the toilet paper hoarding, no question," Ojalvo told the news outlet of the recent business boom, adding that sales of the company’s bamboo toilet paper have also doubled.
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic last week, as a result, states have mandated the closure of schools, restaurants, bars and entertainment spaces such as clubs and movie theaters. The panic surrounding the virus has prompted Americans to buy in bulk leading to stores shortages of food and household items.
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