China's National Day holiday has seen both online and offline shopping gain momentum thanks to heightened consumer enthusiasm and the implementation of pro-consumption policies.
Throughout the seven-day Golden Week, various pro-consumption activities were launched nationwide to boost spending and sustain the recovery of China's consumer market, said Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce.
Local governments have come up with diversified measures, including handing out consumption vouchers, enriching traveling activities and organizing consumption festivals to boost culture and tourism consumption.
In Fuzhou, Fujian province, the government issued consumption vouchers worth 30 million yuan ($4.23 million) during the holiday to encourage spending, and Sichuan province organized more than 70 activities such as cultural and night tours to attract travelers.
"Local governments have adopted vigorous measures this year, and these are accessible to a wider range of consumers," said Chen Lifen, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council, adding that such moves will further unleash consumption potential.
Travel fervor ran high during the Golden Week, according to Lvmama, a domestic online travel agency. Bookings for holiday trips through its platform increased by over 87 percent from Sept 11 to 20, compared with the previous 10 days.
Travel goods have become increasingly popular on online delivery platforms, mirroring the holiday boom.
Data from Meituan, one of China's many online delivery platforms, showed that a week before the holiday, searches for travel toothbrushes, travel water bottles and travel shampoo soared by 1,037 percent, 368 percent and 272 percent respectively, compared with the previous week.
With the interest in outdoor recreation growing among many Chinese people, sales of outdoor equipment also increased sharply. Two weeks ahead of the holiday, sales of outdoor photographic equipment, in particular, increased by over 300 percent compared with the previous two weeks, data from e-commerce enterprise JD.com showed.
Along with the recovery of the tourism sector, the country's catering industry is also warming up with restaurant businesses booming during the holiday.
Restaurant reservations during the National Day holiday via online platforms increased by 87.6 percent compared with the same period last year, according to data from Meituan.
The data also revealed that besides big meals, consumers showed greater interest in snacks, beverages, pastries and other food items offered by smaller eateries during the holiday.
Sales of home appliances also soared, fueled by subsidies from local governments and generous discounts offered by e-commerce platforms.
According to data from electronics retailer Suning, on the first day of the National Day holiday customer flow in its physical stores surged by over 200 percent from the day before, and the number of orders placed at its stores rose 120 percent compared with the previous day.
Also on the first day of the holiday, its online sales of air purifiers, robot vacuum cleaners, dishwashers and other advanced home appliances jumped more than 100 percent from the previous day, data showed.
China has rolled out a raft of measures to boost consumption in key fields such as automobiles, green and intelligent home appliances, catering and accommodation, among others.
"The country's consumer market will consolidate the recovery trend and continue to play a fundamental role in bolstering economic growth, as pro-consumption measures take effect," said Guan Lixin, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
