[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/25\/need-for-n95-masks\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/25\/need-for-n95-masks\/","headline":"Dire need for N95 masks: Will commerce heed the call?","name":"Dire need for N95 masks: Will commerce heed the call?","description":"As consumers are searching for CPG goods like toilet paper, medical professionals are raising an alarm: a dire need for N95 masks. Will commerce step up?","datePublished":"2020-03-25","dateModified":"2022-03-17","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/sharon-goldman\/#Person","name":"Sharon Goldman","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/sharon-goldman\/","identifier":375,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9eebd6834021cf0fd56c2bc8914605e8ceacdb288e6547052cda5eb176992c0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c9eebd6834021cf0fd56c2bc8914605e8ceacdb288e6547052cda5eb176992c0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/need-for-N95-masks.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/need-for-N95-masks.jpg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/25\/need-for-n95-masks\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/b2b\/","name":"B2B Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/B2B_e-commerce"]},"B2C Commerce",{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/","name":"Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q26643"]},"COVID-19 and Business","CPG","Retail Trends, Data, News"],"wordCount":800,"keywords":["COVID-19 | Coronavirus","CPG | Consumer Packaged Goods"],"articleBody":"Rising far above pantry loading and toilet paper panic in pandemic-related retail news? The need for N95 masks.Yes, the humble N95 respirator mask, which is designed to prevent 95% small particles from entering the nose and mouth area, is known mostly to the average consumer as something they might buy for a household painting project or see in a dust-ridden construction zone.But as the COVID-19 crisis has quickly shifted the vast bulk of N95 mask demand from industrial use to healthcare needs, suddenly the masks are a rare and valuable commodity across the country.This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowThe severe shortage of N95 masks is exposing the stark difference between the daily demands of families hunkering down for the long haul and the desperate pleas of health professionals that are tirelessly working on the front lines of the pandemic.Nurses and doctors, after all, aren\u2019t on the hunt at their local grocery for TP, wipes, or a favorite brand of beans.This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowWhile most of us are taking stock of refrigerator essentials and fresh veggies, and retailers are ramping up for continued high demand across dozens of CPG SKUs, healthcare workers are shouting from the virtual rooftops for access to N95 masks in their quest to stay safe while treating both symptomatic and non-symptomatic patients.This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowDemand, meet supply chain: Distribution struggles are realUnfortunately, some retailers have faced challenges dealing with the overwhelming demand and directing the masks to where they are most needed.Target, for example, apologized for offering the masks for sale \u201cin error\u201d at some stores in Washington State, one of the biggest coronavirus epicenters. Amazon told sellers it would block listings for masks amid price-gouging. And there were reports that high-priced masks were appearing in Facebook ads and Shopify stores.On Monday, Mike Roman, chairman and CEO of mask manufacturer 3M told CNBC he \u201cwasn\u2019t happy\u201d that N95 masks needed were available at some retail stores. \u201cIt\u2019s disappointing when you see that because we\u2019re trying to redirect everything to healthcare workers,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re ready to expedite respirators to wherever they\u2019re needed.\u201dIn the meantime, healthcare workers are being forced to reach out to their communities for help obtaining the masks.Over the weekend that truly hit home in my own town: A chief resident at RWJ University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, reached out to our local Facebook groups and asked if anyone could donate N95 masks that they had lying around the house, perhaps hidden in a basement or garage. He planned, he said, to give one to each of the residents on his team if he could get his hands on a dozen (I happened to discover a box of them in my house and dropped them off).And a local nurse anesthetist and critical care nurse also weighed in: \u201cWe are inches away from the faces of these COVID patients when we intubate their airways, but we still do it,\u201d she said. \u201cWe do it so their respiratory distress can be alleviated by the ventilator, so they don\u2019t decompensate, and because it\u2019s our job. Yet, many hospitals do not have enough of the proper N95 masks when we do this which is dangerous for us and anyone else we encounter.\u201d She has, she concluded, \u201cnever felt more afraid to be a nurse.\u201dThe good news is, 3M reported that half a million masks are currently on their way to New York and Seattle. The company also said it would nearly double production of the masks over the next year, to an annual rate of 2 billion masks worldwide.This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowStill, it\u2019s clear that retail mask challenges remain: 3M, for example, pointed out that they cannot control the prices dealers and retailers charge for the respirators.Hopefully, the retail community will heed the call to direct N95 masks to where they are most needed \u2014 not to DIY home improvement shoppers, or even families looking for self-protection, but the front-line health personnel that need them most.Any buyer can post a need.Any supplier can respond.For free.LEARN MORE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2020","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"03","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/03\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"25","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/03\/\/25\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Dire need for N95 masks: Will commerce heed the call?","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/25\/need-for-n95-masks\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]