Shoppers walk past by a window decor featuring a mechanical bat at a newly opened mall and office complex in Beijing. China’s experience may prove an important indicator for how the rest of the world recovers. Even after outbreaks are contained, lingering fear is likely to change consumer behaviour for longer than expected. — AP
China’s consumers are shopping online again. But their purchases are signaling that they plan to stay indoors for the foreseeable future, dashing hopes for a spending recovery as the nation contemplates its post-virus world.
Lunch boxes saw 120 times more searches in the last 30 days as the virus pushes people to prepare their own food even after returning to the office, according to March 26 data from Index.1688, which collects information from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s shopping sites.
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