In the morning, a cup of freshly ground coffee was delivered to the desk through the instant retail platform; at noon, a long queue formed in front of a high-energy first store; in the evening, an immersive drama was sold out in the old business district. As consumption extends from "buying things" to "buying experiences," service retail is entering life at a faster speed and in richer forms, and has become an important window for observing the pulse of China's consumer market.
In the first three quarters, the total retail sales of consumer goods and services increased by 2.6% year-on-year, of which service retail sales increased by 5.0%, which was 4.0 percentage points higher than the growth rate of commodity retail sales. The retail sales of communication and information services, travel consulting and leasing services, and cultural, sports and leisure services all maintained rapid growth, and the growth rate of retail sales of transportation services was equally impressive. The data outlines a clear trajectory: service consumption is becoming an important engine for consumption growth, and residents’ consumption structure is accelerating the transformation from mainly commodity consumption to equal emphasis on commodity and service consumption.
The growth rate is impressive. In the first three quarters, the national online retail sales of goods and services was 15,147.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%; of which, the retail sales of online services were 5,641.1 billion yuan, an increase of 5.3%, which was 1.5 percentage points higher than the growth rate of online goods retail sales. The accelerated penetration of online service consumption complements the continued recovery of offline scenes. The growth rate of real-time retail transaction volume continues to exceed double digits, opening up online and offline consumption scenarios. From takeout catering to fresh food delivery, from housekeeping services to door-to-door maintenance, the "order online and arrive within hours" model is reshaping the rhythm and quality of urban life.
The structure is improving. Retail sales of communications and information services continued to grow at double digits, reflecting good growth in information service consumption. Technological innovation continues to help expand and extend consumption scenarios, driving the continuous release of new consumption potential such as digital consumption. In the first three quarters, the retail sales of travel consulting and rental services and cultural, sports and leisure services increased by 10.7% and 9.7% respectively, confirming the enduring popularity of "Poetry and Distance". From rural vacations to city strolls, from museum night tours to the concert economy, the cultural, sports, tourism and leisure market continues to operate at a high level, and consumption is increasingly characterized by personalization, experience, and quality.
The rapid growth of service retail is not an accidental "window", but the inevitable result of the two-way supply and demand forces and the continuous strengthening of policies.
From the demand side, my country's per capita GDP has exceeded US$13,000, and residents' consumption focus is shifting from "owning goods" to "enjoying services". In 2025, the per capita service consumption expenditure of national residents will account for 46.1% of the per capita consumption expenditure, which is still higher than the 60% level of developed economies. The "15th Five-Year Plan for Expanding Consumption" stipulates that this proportion will steadily increase by 2030, which means that service consumption will be an important source of consumption increase in the next five years and a key starting point for unleashing the potential of domestic demand.
From the supply side, the adaptability of supply and demand in the service consumption market continues to increase. The digital transformation of the life service industry is accelerating, the online rate of catering, housekeeping and other fields continues to increase, and the integration of "online + offline" is accelerating, making services more efficient, convenient and accurate. Cultural tourism supply continues to innovate, and immersive performances and night-time cultural tourism consumption clusters continue to emerge. New scenarios such as online entertainment, telemedicine, and cloud fitness are emerging one after another, expanding new space for service consumption. The supply side continues to make efforts to provide services with somewhere to go, things to choose from, and quality to enjoy.
The rapid growth of service retail is also a vivid reflection of the vigorous development of new business formats and new models. In the first three quarters, the retail sales growth rate of warehouse membership stores above designated size and unattended stores exceeded 25%, the retail sales growth rate of shopping malls exceeded double digits, and the retail sales growth rate of collection stores continued to accelerate. These new business formats not only “sell goods”, but also provide lifestyle, social, leisure, experience, and aesthetic value overlay, constantly enriching the connotation and extension of service consumption.
A series of innovative practices are being carried out in various places. Anhui implements actions to improve service consumption and benefit the people, and cultivates more than 30 integrated development clusters of business, culture, tourism, and sports; Fujian coordinates resources from all parties around "shopping, traveling, eating, nourishing, and entertainment", and "Travel in Fujian" arranges funds to create a new scene integrating business, tourism, culture, sports, and health; Hunan supports In line with Changsha's efforts to create an international consumption center city, Hengyang has made it clear that by 2027 it will be basically built into a regional consumption center city with aggregation of brands, innovation in business formats, convenient consumption, and wide coverage... Various regions regard service consumption as the focus of expanding domestic demand, and policies and measures are accelerating the implementation.
Of course, we must also note that the problem of insufficient domestic demand still exists, residents' spending power and willingness need to be further enhanced, and high-quality supply still needs to be improved. At the same time, positive changes are accumulating: In September, total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 1.1% year-on-year, 0.7 percentage points faster than in August, and 0.35% month-on-month.
The more service retail "accelerates", the more "quality" the consumption upgrade becomes. When more and more people are willing to pay for experience, pay for quality, and applaud services, the consumer market will have a steady stream of endogenous power. Based on the first year of the "15th Five-Year Plan" and focusing on improving the quality and expansion of service consumption, we will continue to release the potential of domestic demand. The vitality of China's ultra-large-scale market is bursting out and the potential is continuously released, which will surely inject more powerful momentum into high-quality economic development.
Qi Zhiming
"People's Daily" (November 04, 2026, Page 18)
