my country's consumer market continues to improve and upgrade: product renewal, service expansion, and scenario acceleration

Since the beginning of this year, with the implementation of policies and measures to expand domestic demand and promote consumption, a new picture of my country's consumer market has gradually unfolded: commodity consumption has accelerated its upgrading, service consumption has continued to expand, consumption scenarios have been constantly renewed, and residents' consumption demand is moving from "have or not" to "is it good or not".

Commodity consumption upgrade

In Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen, stalls that were once filled with mobile phone cases and power banks are now stocked with new categories such as AI translation headsets, AI learning machines, and AI companion robots. "In addition to regular health monitoring, it also enables independent calls by inserting cards and the use of full-featured social software." Lu Caimei, head of the Yueyexuan Electronics Sales Department of Huaqiang Electronic World, said that the store's smart watches and smart headphones are very popular.

Wang Chengzhu, deputy general manager of Huaqiang Electronic World Management Co., Ltd., said that as of early May, the sales proportion of Huaqiangbei's AI products this year has jumped from 12% in 2023 to 41%; the overall sales of the "Eight AI Horses" hot-selling categories such as drones, AI glasses, and AI watches have increased by 55% year-on-year.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that from January to July this year, the retail sales of wearable smart devices, including smart glasses, more than doubled. Yuan Yan, chief statistician of the Department of Trade and Economics of the National Bureau of Statistics, said that since the beginning of this year, my country's retail sales have continued to expand and upgrade, the consumption of upgraded goods has performed well, and new consumption formats and new models have burst with vitality.

Quality has also become a key word for consumption upgrades. "Each of our finished products undergoes an average of 100 quality inspections and tests." said Berman, senior vice president of L'Oréal North Asia and China operations. From the raw materials warehousing 100% against global standards, to the control of suspended particles in the clean workshop below the 0.5 micron level, a full-chain quality closed loop from the origin of raw materials to the hands of consumers has been formed.

From chasing new products to optimizing quality, consumers no longer buy just hardware, but "digital partners" that can assist and evolve; they no longer only compare price, but also look at technological content and quality.

Service consumption expansion

From January to July this year, my country's service retail sales increased by 5.0% year-on-year, 3.9 percentage points faster than the retail sales of goods. Wang Guanhua, deputy director of the National Economic Comprehensive Statistics Department of the National Bureau of Statistics, said that the focus of residents' consumption has changed from "buying goods" to "enjoying services" and "focusing on experience", and expanding service consumption will continue to be the main engine for expanding consumption.

At the beginning of this year, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Work Plan for Accelerating the Cultivation of New Growth Points in Service Consumption", focusing on key areas and potential areas such as performance services, sports event services, emotional and experiential services, and proposing innovative support measures from many aspects to provide support for the transformation of service consumption from demand willingness to market growth.

This summer, the large-scale Qin culture epic fantasy performance "Jiujiang Da Qin" will have its 1,000th performance. The show focuses on immersive experience. "It doesn't let you sit and watch the show, it lets you step into the show." Zhang Lin, the person in charge of the "Jiujiang Da Qin" Performing Arts Center, said that there is no barrier between the stage and the offstage in the entire performance. The stage will move, the seats will move, and the palaces, battlefields, and markets of the Qin Dynasty will switch around the audience.

Small group customized tours and special cultural tourism routes are also gradually becoming popular. Tongcheng Travel's "2026 Summer Parent-Child Travel Trend Report" shows that "traveling with textbooks" has become a hot spot for travel. Searches for text check-in study products increased 2.8 times month-on-month, inquiries about historical poetry-themed study routes increased by 130% year-on-year, and bookings for related group tours and customized vacation products increased by more than 60% year-on-year.

Experts say that service consumption is an upgrade and extension of commodity consumption. By extending the residence time and expanding the scene radius, it connects more industrial links, releases the multiplier effect, and injects more lasting vitality into the consumer market.

Scene renewal and acceleration

In September last year, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the "Notice on Carrying out Pilot Work on New Consumption Business Forms, New Models and New Scenarios" to support about 50 cities in carrying out pilot work. Zuo Xiaobo, deputy director of the Department of Trade in Services of the Ministry of Commerce, said that the pilot covers more than 480 million permanent residents, covering more than half of the country's social enterprises, and has sufficient market vitality and large room for growth.

Relying on the natural resources of the Gongshui River and the culture of ethnic minorities, Xuan'en County in Hubei Province has built a national 4A-level tourist attraction supported by the core area of ​​the county. New scenes such as water curtain movies and light and shadow night shows are constantly emerging; Leling City in Shandong Province implements "universal studios" and plans nearly 200 scenic spots, old streets, and old factories into unique "studio studios" to stimulate consumption vitality in the county. Nowadays, more and more consumers are shifting their travel destinations from big cities to small counties, and "touring to counties" is ushering in a boom.

Digitalization is also accelerating to drive new scenes. Beijing Capital Cinema Dongsheng Technology Park Store has built a multi-functional cultural space equipped with a retractable stage, professional lighting and sound, and adjustable audience seats in addition to the professional cinema, which can be switched for use in performing arts, socializing and other scenes. The Hubei Provincial Museum has launched Doubao AI commentators, which support explanations in 12 dialects including Wuhan dialect. The cooperation has covered more than 20 cultural and museum institutions.

Chen Fangfang, general manager of Meituan’s service retail and lifestyle business department, said that the service retail industry is showing trends such as integration and self-service, and traditional industry boundaries continue to dissolve and penetrate each other.

From the careful selection of a smart product, to the full immersion in an immersive performance, to the renewal of a small county town, changes in consumption are connected to the yearning for a better life by hundreds of millions of families, and to the transformation and upgrading of China's economy. The two-way flow of supply and demand is injecting lasting momentum into the consumer market.