BEIJING, May 21 -- China's online retail sales saw steady expansion in the first four months of 2024, with emerging growth forces continuing to boost consumption, official data showed on Tuesday.

The country's online retail sales rose 11.5 percent year on year to 4.41 trillion yuan (about 620.52 billion U.S. dollars) during the period, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Specifically, online retail sales of physical goods climbed 11.1 percent year on year to 3.74 trillion yuan, contributing 23.9 percent of China's retail sales of consumer goods, the ministry said.

The country's consumption of key online services monitored by the ministry jumped 25.1 percent year on year in the same period, and its consumption of digital, green and health commodities also grew rapidly.

In April, China's online sales of home appliances and furniture increased 9.3 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively, supported by the country's consumer goods trade-in policy.