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.
