According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, online retail sales of physical goods in China grew by 4.8% year-on-year during the first six months of 2026, contributing 1.2 percentage points to the overall growth of total retail sales of consumer goods.
Smart products continued to show strong growth, with Ministry of Commerce big data monitoring revealing that online retail sales of smart exoskeletons and smart glasses surged by 458.4% and 151.7%, respectively.
Online retail sales of services expanded by 6.0% during the same period, based on National Bureau of Statistics data. Ministry of Commerce monitoring further indicated that online sales in the tourism and catering sectors increased by 27.2% and 13.9%, respectively.
The Ministry of Commerce's E-commerce Department provided an overview of China's e-commerce development in the first half of 2026, highlighting that the ministry actively promoted innovative e-commerce growth. This involved integrating online and offline channels to unlock consumption potential, leveraging digital and intelligent technologies to drive industrial transformation and upgrading, and advancing "Silk Road E-commerce" to enhance international economic and trade cooperation.
Building a New Development Environment
Efforts were made to promote amendments to the E-Commerce Law of the People's Republic of China, balancing promotion and regulation as well as domestic and international considerations to further improve the legal environment for e-commerce. The Guiding Opinions on Better Serving the Real Economy and Promoting High-Quality Development of E-commerce were issued to leverage e-commerce's role in consolidating the foundation of the real economy. Additionally, the creation of national e-commerce demonstration bases was initiated to provide exemplary leadership and radiating effects.
Stimulating New Consumption Vitality
To upgrade the quality of consumption, the "National Online New Year's Goods Festival" and "Double-Quality Online Shopping Festival" were enhanced to unleash consumption potential. As noted, online retail sales of physical goods grew 4.8%, driving overall retail growth. Smart product performance was particularly notable, with smart exoskeletons and smart glasses leading the charge. Online service retail sales also saw a 6.0% increase, while tourism and catering online sales posted strong gains of 27.2% and 13.9%, respectively.
Cultivating New Drivers for Industry
The "Digital Commerce to Boost Agriculture" initiative was implemented, with regions like Ningxia, Shandong, and Guangxi holding special traceability events for specialty agricultural products. Ministry of Commerce big data showed that online retail sales of agricultural products increased by 12.2% in the first half of the year. The "E-commerce plus Industry Cluster" model was also developed, with e-commerce platforms connecting with specialized industry clusters to help supply chains reduce costs and improve efficiency. This led to a 5.6% increase in online transaction volume for industrial products and a 5.1% increase for chemical products. E-commerce also helped expand the scale and quality of the services sector, with data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showing a 12.1% increase in revenue from cloud computing and big data services in the first five months of 2026.
Expanding New Spaces for Cooperation
Cooperation with 36 "Silk Road E-commerce" partner countries deepened, with the central and local governments jointly organizing nine "Silk Road E-commerce for Global Benefit" themed events. Xinjiang, Hebei, and Shanghai strengthened dialogues between Chinese and foreign governments and enterprises, and held "Silk Road Cloud Products" e-commerce festivals featuring African goods. Guangxi launched an online marketplace for ASEAN fruits, helping bring quality products to China. Data from the Ministry of Commerce's key monitoring of cross-border e-commerce import platforms showed significant growth in the first half of the year, with sales of Brazilian steak, Kenyan coffee beans, and Thai fresh durians rising by 176.3%, 87.1%, and 75.1%, respectively.
Comments