Sales of health and nutritional products to boost immune systems surged 400% month-on-month in the first half of January, with protein powder, vitamin C and probiotics increasingly favoured by Chinese consumers, according to AliHealth, the health and medical unit of Alibaba. — AFP
BEIJING: Wang Zhen, 28, a white-collar worker in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, just placed an order online with her mobile phone.
Gift boxes of protein powder, multivitamins, mineral tablets and nutrition supplements like wolfberry honey and collagen will be delivered to her home in the next few days.
“I bought these commodities as Chinese New Year presents for my parents. I will go back to my hometown in Changsha, Hunan province, during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday this year for a family reunion. My parents were infected with Covid-19 a month ago and recovered after taking medicine. I hope the nutritional goods will boost their immunity,” she said
Apart from health-related products, she also purchased a robotic vacuum cleaner and an automated dishwasher to free her parents from tedious and repetitive daily housework.
Healthcare products, smart-home appliances and pet products have gained popularity among Chinese shoppers who have started stocking up ahead of the Lunar New Year, which falls on Sunday.
Data from Tmall, Alibaba’s business-to-customer platform, showed that the demand for medical supplies, including thermometers, disinfectants, antigen test kits and pulse oximeters that measure oxygen concentration in arterial blood, has grown exponentially in recent weeks.
Sales of health and nutritional products to boost immune systems surged 400% month-on-month in the first half of January, with protein powder, vitamin C and probiotics increasingly favoured by Chinese consumers, according to AliHealth, the health and medical unit of Alibaba.
Young consumers have shown rising enthusiasm for keeping pets and increased their spending on smart pet products. According to Tmall, the transaction volume of automatic pet feeders soared nearly 100% year-on-year in 2022, while the turnover of smart water dispensaries and pet drying boxes increased about 50% and 40% respectively.Small home appliances and intelligent home equipment have seen robust growth in sales during the Spring Festival promotional gala. In particular, large-screen televisions, air fryers, floor-cleaning machines, dishwashers, blenders and other kitchen appliances have enjoyed rising popularity.
Online retailer Suning.com said the turnover of dishwashers at its brick-and-mortar stores skyrocketed 325% year-on-year from Jan 4 to Jan 11, while the transaction volume of 65-inch to 75-inch TVs and floor-cleaning products rose 190% and 56% respectively, from a year earlier.
Hong Yong, an associate research fellow at the eCommerce research department of the Commerce Ministry, said major Chinese online retailers have launched promotional events ahead of the week-long Spring Festival holiday in an effort to promote the recovery of consumption. — China Daily/ANN
