Covid-19: ‘Restricted living’ sparks online ramen frenzy for Walmart

A woman buying packets of instant noodles as people panic buy groceries in a supermarket. Online sales of the pantry staple typically devoured by penny-pinching students rose 578% between Feb 23 and March 21, according to a company presentation obtained by Bloomberg News, helping to fuel a 31% increase in e-commerce revenue over the last eight weeks. — AFP

It’s a good time to be a ramen seller on Walmart Inc’s website.

Online sales of the pantry staple typically devoured by penny-pinching students rose 578% between Feb 23 and March 21, according to a company presentation obtained by Bloomberg News, helping to fuel a 31% increase in e-commerce revenue over the last eight weeks. Other categories seeing explosive growth online included shelf-stable milk, pasta, soup and canned vegetables, which all rose more than 400%.