HotStock, ZooLert and NowInStock.net, typically used to hunt down popular game systems, are now tracking COVID-19 tests.
Can’t find a COVID-19 test? It might be time to let bots do the scouting for you. Product trackers, which just weeks ago were helping some holiday shoppers secure in-demand gaming consoles or graphics cards, are also keeping a digital eye out for the availability of scarce COVID-19 tests. Tracking websites and apps including HotStock, NowInStock.net, ZooLert and Brickseek have added COVID-19 home tests to their roundup of hot items tracked across ecommerce sites. Jonathan Allen has taken notice. Better known by his social media handle “ SupplyNinja,“ he’s been following like PS5 or XBox consoles on his Twitter account and newsletter. But shortly after Christmas, he started seeing messages asking for help snagging COVID-19 tests amid an ongoing surge in infections. „I’ve been getting requests since the New Year started. Seems that once Christmas was out of the way, people began focusing back on today’s current event — this virus,“ he told CBS MoneyWatch. Allen estimates he receives up to 15 message a day inquiring about finding a test kit. „I get so many, they bury each other,“ he said. The popular coupon app Honey lists four types of at-home COVID tests among the items most watched by users, including tests manufactured by Binax, QuickVue, Homeflex and InteliSwab. ZooLert recently added a COVID-19 tracker to its online roster. NowInStock.net and Brickseek are also tracking tests‘ availability. The change comes amid a nationwide shortage of COVID tests coinciding with the end of the holiday travel season and the.
