Wendy Zhang/ Shanghai Daily

Continuous scorching weather has kept shoppers at home and thus driven up sales via telephone and Internet merchants, the Youth Post reported today.
As of June, the demand for summer commodities such as sun-block cream and whitening face-masks has exceeded the supply, said a public relations spokesman with Dangdang (www.dangdang.com), China's leading B2C website, adding that the sales in July soared by more than 10 percent compared to June.
Shanghai water-distribution's Website (www.shwater.com) reported more than 50 new clients every day. "We received endless calls from 6am to 9pm every day, with more than 2,000 barrels of water and 100 plus boxes of beverage sent out a day," said Zhang Yongjie, spokesman for the Website.
Male consumers usually play a major role in online purchases, as they focus more on convenience than their female counterparts.
Improved payment systems also drove up the sales via phone and Internet merchants, said an industry analyst.