(Yicai Global) March 25 -- New data from Chinese online shopping website Taobao is the latest evidence to show that the pandemic has changed people’s sleeping patterns.

The peak browsing time on Taobao now ranges from 8.00 p.m. to 1.00 a.m., an hour later than previous, according to the data the Alibaba-owned platform made public today.

The average bedtime for Chinese people has been pushed back by two or three hours over the last year due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Chinese Sleep Research Society said in a report it published at the start of this year.

Browsing on Taobao before sleeping has become a habit for many people, with the figures showing that about 17 million people go to the website every day without buying anything. The number of browsers from midnight to 2.00 a.m. has also risen, jumping over 30 percent since last March in the first increase since 2017. 

The change in peak hours on Taobao has meant that shop owners have had to adapt, with customer service staff working much later. Some vendors have simply changed their work hours, while others have chosen to recruit more employees. 

Editor: Tom Litting