Businesses prepare for Chinese New Year sales

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: New Year Specialty Online Shopping Festival was kicked off in the city. It will run through mid February.

Over 80 promotional campaigns would continue until mid-February as merchants gear up for Chinese New Year sales, and the Shanghai Commerce Commission, in collaboration with industry authorities and local alliances, started a new push to drive consumption.

Throughout the month-long event, major promotional activities would include signature merchandise from the Belt and Road regions, as well as food and beverage offers, tourism packages, and agricultural products.

According to the latest official data, Shanghai's e-commerce sector expanded rapidly last year, with retail sales increasing by 22.2 percent to 1.6 trillion yuan (US$225 billion).

The livestreaming retail transaction was the largest in the country, totaling 253.2 billion yuan.

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: A customer shops for a gift package at a Freshippo store.

Freshippo, Dingdong Maicai, Benlai.com, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin were among almost a dozen local e-commerce and livestreaming sites lauded for their active involvement in promoting agricultural products and providing novel consumption scenarios.

Twenty local institutions, trade development organizations, and online shopping sites have come together to boost e-commerce transactions with the Belt and Road regions and expose new products to local consumers.

Retailers are anticipating a Chinese New Year shopping spree with lavish festival goods and distinctive foods for family gatherings.

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: Nutritional supplements with traditional Chinese element patterns are popular among customers looking for gifts for family members.

Nianhuo, or Lunar New Year specialties, which typically contain food packages, winter clothing, and nutritional supplements, cause a shopping frenzy beginning a month before the Chinese New Year celebration.

Freshippo said it has added king crabs and ready-to-heat seafood dishes to its menu. Online delivery is expected to see a jump as people plan family gatherings in their hometown.

Over 80 percent of Freshippo's 200 types of new year gift packages cost less than 400 yuan, with mixed nuts, imported fruit, and seafood already becoming best-selling goods at certain stores.

Ready-to-cook dishes are also popular among customers who wish to experience delicacies at home, and Freshippo's new seafood recipe has been tailored to local tastes and preferences.

Pinduoduo, a local e-commerce site that began promoting New Year specialties in early January, said that sales of fruit gift packs, imported seafood, and liquors have been steadily increasing over the last two weeks.