Consumer market brought back to life by e-commerce, coupons

In the first quarter, the sales of consumer goods in Yunnan reached 201.12 billion yuan, according to the Yunnan statistics bureau. Affected by the Covid-19, the figure is a year-on-year decrease of 14.3%, but within this March also saw a 2.7 % percent increase compared to that in January and February.

The JD.com statistics show Kunming consumers have paid more attention to goods regarding life quality since March, deviated from focusing on daily necessities when the epidemic was at its height. Early March saw JD's sales in the spring city increase by 30%, compared to that in early January. 

E-commerce spurs consumption

The Covid-19 epidemic has affected consuming patterns of Yunnan folks, with increasing demands seen in online shopping, takeaway delivery, games, e-books, videos, and live stream. The variety of online business activities amazed buyers and sellers alike.

On the evening of April 11, the Kunming-based Wangfujing department store launched a livestream hairdressing on the WeChat network, inviting in an audience of 9,000. "It is easy to book the services with certain discounts," said a local consumer, adding others also posted the event on their WeChat moments.

The popularity of online sales during the pandemic usually lasted late at night, resulting in changes in business hours. “We’ll extend the opening hours of several stores in downtown Kunming and the Beicheng area to 2 a.m.," said Pan Chengqiang, a local chain restaurant owner, who also plans to open an afternoon tea house at the 1903 park.

Coupons boost consumer confidence 

The Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province recently launched of a series of programs to stimulate consumption. Lasting from April to December, the programs aim to boost consumer confidence, while stepping up industrial upgrading.

Issuing various coupons for consumers, the business activities focus on the consumptions that benefit people, enrich rural areas, and increase the leisure of vacation goers. Joint consumption, online sales of Yunnan specialties, and consumption regarding poverty alleviation are also suggested in the programs. 

"My family consumes a box of fresh milk every day, and seeing the Hema app offered a 5-yuan coupon for each box, I got it at once,” said Ms. Lei, a Kunming housewife who has accustomed to buying vegetables and other daily necessities on the shopping apps in the past months.

Kunminger Ms. Fu got a discounted refrigerator at the Suning store of home appliances on April 18. Using her 200-yuan coupon and enjoying a discount of 1,900 yuan, she finally paid 5,500 yuan for a fridge with an original price of 7,699 yuan.

On April 20, Mr. Jiang, another Kunming citizen, said in an interview that he was busy decorating his new house. Reviewing the coupons and discounts offered by various businesses, Jiang said he hoped for some installments or coupons to ease the financial burden.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has given risen to new consumption patterns with changes in demands and supplies,” observed Wang Jie, associate professor at the School of Business and Tourism Management, Yunnan University. “So far, China has launched new infrastructural projects in the 5G network, artificial intelligence and big data, which will surely give impetus to digital economy and a new round of technological innovation.”

Reporting by Liu Ziyu, Han Chengyuan, Li Hengqiang and Wang Huan; trans-editing by Wang Shixue