Sharp Corp. said Thursday it will change how it sells its face masks online, from offering them on a first-come, first-served basis to using a lottery system, after attracting more potential buyers than its e-commerce website could handle amid the COVID-19 crisis.

After starting to accept online orders for the face masks Tuesday, the household-appliance maker received far more hits than expected and had to suspend operation of the website. No one was actually able to purchase the masks.

Sharp's “internet of things” services that involve remote control of household appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators were also disrupted because they used the same system as the e-commerce website where the masks were sold.