SHANGHAI — The volume of e-commerce trading in Shanghai reached 134.3 billion yuan ($18.94 billion) in the first quarter, up 19.1 percent compared with the same period last year, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce said on April 17. 

The volume has surged despite the overall downward trend during the COVID-19 epidemic and e-commerce platforms have played a vital role in supplying the market, according to the commission.

In 2019, the e-commerce trading volume of Shanghai reached 3.32 trillion yuan, up by 14.7 percent year-on-year and accounting for nearly 10 percent of the nation's total.

Shanghai's e-commerce sector has become more online-offline integrated, providing a better shopping experience as a number of new businesses and models have emerged, the commission said.