Shanghai launches new campaign to boost consumption

Shanghai has launched a new campaign to attract more foreign consumers to boost spendings and position itself as an international consumption center by providing convenience, diverse experiences, and new trends.

The "Love Shopping Shanghai" global promotional event, the core program of the 5th Shanghai "Double Five" shopping festival, officially kicked off on Wednesday.

At the launch ceremony, the "Love Shopping Shanghai" international friendly handbook was unveiled, highlighting the city's convenience such as hassle-free payments, diverse experiential scenarios, and popular exhibitions, as well as local recommendations for dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment.

In addition, the first batch of 14 malls were awarded the "International Friendly Mall" title.

"Our departure tax refunds have increased nearly tenfold compared to last year. We will introduce a series of Shanghai's first-store brands and provide corresponding services to facilitate cross-border payments and departure tax refunds," said Ye Yifan, executive director of the New World Daimaru Department Store in Shanghai.

"Currently, foreign consumption accounts for about 30 percent of our mall. Going forward, we will try to provide services with more foreign languages," said Yin Qin, deputy general manager of Bailian Outlets.

Financial institutions and transportation authorities in the city have also rolled out new measures to attract foreign consumers.

"We have partnered with over 300 businesses to provide exclusive departure tax refund services, offering instant refunds at 13 popular shopping malls," said Zhang Xinyuan, deputy general manager of the Bank of China Shanghai Branch.

"Shanghai's two major airports have launched in-terminal coffee culture festivals, shopping discounts, and payment-based price slashes to customize exclusive benefits for passengers," said Zhao Haibo, vice president of the Shanghai Airport Group.

The new campaign will also intensify its promotional efforts overseas to attract more international visitors to experience Shanghai's new landmarks, shopping scenes, and emerging business formats.

"During the recent May Day holiday, foreign consumption accounted for nearly half of the total. So, we hope to not only attract foreign consumption during festivals, but also showcase Shanghai's latest development in everyday life," said Liu Min, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.

The Double Five shopping festival, launched in May 2020, is part of China's wider efforts to revive consumer confidence and boost domestic consumption.

Shanghai launches new campaign to boost consumption

云南昆明斗南被誉为“亚洲花都”，这里的鲜花产销两旺，每天都有上千个品种、数千万枝鲜花，通过竞拍、批发、零售等方式，走向全国各地的市场。   Asia's largest flower auction market, the Kunming International Flora Auction Trading Center in southwest China's Yunnan Province, is cashing in on fast-growing consumer demand of various fresh-cut flowers.   【正文】 走进昆明国际花卉拍卖交易中心，数百名鲜花购买商正在激烈角逐，进行竞拍，在这里，平均不到4秒就会完成一次交易，靠的就是准头、拼的就是手速，但凡犹豫一点，就拍不到心仪的鲜切花。   At the auction center in Dounan, "the flower capital of Asia," a flower auctioning scene is busy with high tension and excitement. Buyers from all over the country are engaging in spirited bidding wars for their preferred flowers. In mere seconds, they can quickly decide whether they should bid for products based on information on the varieties, grades and prices displayed on a trading screen. And each bid has to be made in less than four seconds, said a flower buyer.   【同期】鲜花购买商 记者：今天你要拍多少枝花？“How many flowers you wish to bid on today?" 大约的话要拍一万多枝。“About 10,000 stems of flowers would be needed (today). 记者：都是什么花？What kind of flowers are they? 我主要是做多头玫瑰。I mainly sell multi-headed roses,”   "About 10,000 stems of flowers would be needed (today). I mainly sell multi-headed roses," he told a reporter.

自5月6日以来，昆明国际花卉拍卖交易中心，一直处于备货、供货的高峰期，这里的拍卖交易也从平时的每天下午一场，变成早、晚各一场。   To cope with the overwhelming demand amid peak season, a notable adjustment was made to the daily auction transactions at that venue from May 6, with transferring a single auction session in the afternoon to two sessions in morning and evening seperately.   【同期】鲜花购买商 （第）一场的话因为太早，然后客户的那个订单量下得少，所以说我们就说先拍一部分放在那里，等（第）二场然后客户下单了，然后我们再缺什么补什么。   "As the first auction starts too early and customer orders are relatively small, we generally bid some of the products and store them. We will wait until customers place more orders during the second auction, and then we will replenish inventory based on their demand," the flower buyer added.   【正文】 据昆明国际花卉拍卖交易中心最新数据显示，五月以来，昆明花拍中心日均供货量超过850万枝，整体较去年上涨约31%。   The latest data from the center reported that more than 8.5 million stems of flowers have been transacted on a daily basis since May, surging around 31 percent from the last year.

Asia's leading flower auction market blossoms over growing demand