Sales of condoms & sportswear rise as smog thickens in China

While it is easy to imagine a sharp rise in online orders for anti-pollution products such as masks and air purifiers on smoggy days, a boom in the sales of condoms and sports-wear might be a little unexpected.

作为雾霾天的必备之物，口罩、净化器需求量的急速上涨理所应当，然而令人始料未及的是，雾霾同时也掀起了避孕套、运动服装的销售热潮。

According to search ratings for last week provided by Taobao.com, China's largest online shopping platform, searches for condoms were clearly correlated with those Chinese cities that had heavy smog.

作为中国最大的网上购物平台——淘宝网，据淘宝上周的搜索量排行显示，避孕套，在几个深受雾霾影响的城市中搜索量有所上升。

In Beijing and some northern cities that were severely hit by smog, the rise in orders of condoms went beyond the sales in cities with cleaner air, as people have greater concerns of good child bearing and try to prevent getting pregnant on smoggy days, according to Taobao.

在雾霾天气严重的北京和一些北方城市，避孕套的订单量有所上涨，而在其他空气质量良好的城市并未见此现象。根据淘宝网，这是因为人们希望能有一个健康的孕宝宝，所以用避孕手段以免在雾霾天怀上宝宝。

Interest in sportswear also increased during the heavy smog. Those cities with serious haze recorded more frequent searches for sportswear, as residents have a stronger willingness to exercise outside once the air gets cleaner. Sportswear has become more popular than women's apparel and cosmetics on smoggy days, according to Taobao.

在雾霾天气期间，运动服装的销量也有所上涨，被雾霾严重困扰的城市居民对运动服装的搜索也较为频繁，他们渴望清新的空气，希望雾霾天一结束就能到户外运动锻炼。根据淘宝网，在雾霾期间，运动服装比女装、化妆品更受欢迎。

Traditional anti-pollution products are profiting from the smog, too. In the most recent seven-day search, the search index for anti-pollution masks on Taobao.com surged by 116 percent over the previous seven days.

当然，传统防污染商品的生产商也从雾霾天气中有所受益。与前7天相比，在最近7天的搜索中，防霾口罩的搜索量增长了116%。

Du Ni, a 26-year-old white-collar worker in Beijing, said she bought 50 masks online last month. The masks protect from PM2.5, the harmful airborne particulates, as well as dust, and they have breathing valves. "I think I have to wear a mask on such severely polluted days, that it should be better than wearing nothing. But I doubt if it actually works," she said.

杜妮，一位26岁的北京白领说，她上个月在网上买了50只口罩，这些口罩能防雾霾、有害颗粒物以及灰尘，而且有呼吸阀。"污染这么严重，我必须戴口罩，但我也怀疑戴口罩到底有没有用，不过总比什么都不戴强"，她说到。

In addition, public consumption of healthcare products has been affected by such major public health events, as consumers demonstrate anxiety consumption, the Taobao report said.

此外，医疗保健品的大众消费也受到雾霾这样重大公共健康事件的影响，消费者呈现出焦虑消费，据淘宝报告表示。

In the past few years, when some cities have been hit by severe sandstorms, and when Beijing issued the first orange alert and continuous smog alerts, the sales of protective products increased significantly.

在过去几年里，每当一些城市有严重的沙尘暴，以及北京首次发布雾霾橙色预警信号和持续雾霾信号，这些防护商品的销量就会显著上涨。

In areas frequently hit by smog, such as Beijing and Shandong and Liaoning provinces in northern China, robots that can help clean windows are also in demand, according to Taobao.

中国北方的一些省市经常遭遇雾霾天气，如北京、山东、辽宁等地，因此，窗户清洁机器人的需求也在扩大，据淘宝网表示。