The rapid growth of online retail consumption upgrade plan will be launched this year

　　Recently, the Ministry of Commerce held a regular press conference. The spokesperson introduced the operation of my country's consumer market in the first quarter of 2018 and the online sales in my country in the first quarter. At the same time, it said that the Ministry of Commerce will fully launch the consumption upgrade plan this year.

　　According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the total retail sales of consumer goods in the country reached RMB 9027.5 billion from January to March this year, an increase of 9.8% year-on-year. In March, the total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 10.1% year-on-year, accelerating by 0.4 percentage points from January to February. In the first quarter, sales of key retail enterprises monitored by the Ministry of Commerce increased by 4.5% year-on-year, accelerating by 0.4 percentage points from the same period last year.

　　Spokesperson Gao Feng said that my country's consumer market showed a steady acceleration in growth in the first quarter, and the fundamental role of consumption in economic growth continued to increase, and the contribution rate of final consumption expenditure to economic growth reached 77.8%.

　　Among them, online sales maintained rapid growth. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in the first quarter of 2018, my country's online retail sales reached RMB 1931.8 billion, a year-on-year increase of 35.4%. The online retail sales of physical goods was 1456.7 billion yuan, an increase of 34.4% year-on-year, with a growth rate of 24.6 percentage points higher than the total retail sales of consumer goods, accounting for 16.1% of the total retail sales of consumer goods, effectively driving consumption growth.

　　The results of monitoring key e-commerce platforms through business big data show that from the perspective of regional structure, the online retail sales in the East, Central, West and Northeast regions in the first quarter were 1541.88 billion yuan, 168.92 billion yuan, 163.19 billion yuan and 32.17 billion yuan, respectively, an increase of 30.9%, 39.8%, 39.7% and 25.3% year-on-year respectively.

　　In the first quarter, my country's online retail market was obvious, first manifested in the improvement of consumption quality. Business big data monitoring shows that cultural, health and tourism consumption has grown rapidly, and the sales of books, audio and video, cultural office supplies and Chinese and Western medicines have all increased by more than 50%, reflecting the accelerated transformation of market consumption demand. Cultural connotation and consumption experience have become important factors affecting consumer choices.

　　Secondly, rural online retail is growing rapidly. Business big data monitoring shows that in the first quarter of 2018, the national online retail sales in rural areas were 287.82 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 34.7%, accounting for 14.9% of the national online retail sales. Among them, the online retail sales of physical goods was 225.23 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 32.2%; the online retail sales of non-physical goods were 62.59 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 38.9%.

　　By region, the online retail sales in rural areas of the eastern, central, western and northeast were RMB 207.94 billion, RMB 41.35 billion, RMB 31.15 billion and RMB 7.39 billion, RMB 7.39 billion, RMB 32.5%, 40%, 43.9% and 31.8% year-on-year, accounting for 13.5%, 24.5%, 19.1% and 23% of the region's online retail sales, respectively.

　　Furthermore, the development of second-hand e-commerce is also eye-catching. Second-hand e-commerce grew rapidly in the first quarter, and the transactions of idle items that interact online and offline are active, helping the supply and demand of idle resources in society to connect, effectively promoting green circular development.

　　The development of social e-commerce is constantly cultivating market growth. In the first quarter, social e-commerce attracted a large number of consumers in the central and western regions and middle-aged and elderly consumers to "go online" through social platforms through "acquaintances" communication and "group buying" discounts, so that more consumers can enjoy the convenience of online shopping.

　　While online retail is growing rapidly, offline consumption is also showing a continuous recovery. As physical retail enterprises actively transform and upgrade, traditional commercial entities have continuously adjusted their commodity structure and business format structure, carried out innovations in supply chains, channels and service methods, and the trend of offline retail recovery continues to increase.

　　Among them, in the first quarter, sales of department stores, supermarkets, shopping centers and convenience stores of key monitored retail enterprises increased by 1.7%, 4.4%, 6.3% and 7.2% year-on-year respectively, accelerating by 0.8, 0.6, 0.5 and 0.4 percentage points respectively compared with the same period last year.

　　The pace of upgrading commodity consumption remains unabated, and demand for smart energy-saving, green and environmental protection products is strong, driving the growth rate of sales of upgraded and quality products. Sales of cosmetics, daily necessities, household appliances and clothing units above the limit increased by 16.1%, 12.3%, 11.4% and 9.8% year-on-year, respectively, accelerating by 6.2, 3.8, 3.4 and 3.6 percentage points respectively compared with the same period last year.

　　While consumption of catering, tourism, culture and entertainment services is growing rapidly, it is showing a trend of quality and segmentation. Data shows that national catering revenue in the first quarter increased by 10.3% year-on-year, of which units above the limit increased by 8% year-on-year, accelerating by 0.7 percentage points from the same period last year.

　　Gao Feng said that as the national economy continues to maintain a steady and positive trend, supply-side structural reform is deepened, urban and rural residents' income continues to grow rapidly, policies and measures to expand consumption are gradually implemented and effective, and the consumption structure is accelerated. It is expected that the consumer market will continue to grow stably and rapidly in the later period.

　　Since the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Commerce has fully launched an action plan for consumption upgrading and has continuously promoted six aspects of work: First, build urban and rural convenience consumption service centers, improve the comprehensive service level of living in communities and rural areas, and promote convenient consumption. The second is to implement the business district consumption-leading project, promote the innovation and transformation of physical retail, and lead consumption upgrading. The third is to build a new platform for international consumption, cultivate and build an international consumer city, introduce high-quality and distinctive foreign goods and services, and attract overseas consumption back. Fourth, promote green consumption and form a green, low-carbon, thrifty consumption model and lifestyle. Fifth, build a modern supply chain, promote cost reduction and efficiency improvement in circulation, and improve the level of informatization, standardization and intensification of circulation. Sixth, build an environment for safe consumption, strengthen the construction of integrity in the business field, promote the construction of a circulation traceability system, crack down on infringement and counterfeiting, and create a safe and secure consumption environment.

　　Gao Feng said that the Ministry of Commerce will also hold a special meeting in the near future to make comprehensive arrangements for further promoting the action plan for consumption upgrading.