Reporter Wu Na
This weekend is the Chinese New Year. With the changes in people's lifestyles, New Year's goods, New Year's gifts, and New Year's taste have also changed. The Spring Festival consumer market presents four new characteristics: a greater pursuit of green health, a greater emphasis on individuality and diversity, a greater emphasis on cultural characteristics, and a greater preference for technology and intelligence. Faced with these new characteristics, relevant departments have introduced a variety of new consumption scenarios to meet the diverse consumption needs of the people.
At the press conference held by the State Council Information Office yesterday to ensure market supply during the Spring Festival and promote holiday consumption, the Ministry of Commerce launched festival scenes such as burning winter ice and snow, Laba national tide, celebrating the Lantern Festival, and spring renewal. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism planned to launch seven major sections With 25 main activities, the General Administration of Sports focused on playing the "three integration cards". Various departments hope to use a variety of activities to benefit enterprises and bring joy to the people.
Before the holiday, the national consumer market has sufficient supply, stable prices and strong sales.
As the Spring Festival is approaching, people, whether in bustling business districts in cities or in rural markets, are busy purchasing all kinds of New Year goods in order to welcome a festive and warm Lunar New Year. Regarding the operation of the national consumer market before the holiday, Vice Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping summarized it as: sufficient supply, stable prices, and strong sales.
According to business big data monitoring, large-scale agricultural and sideline product wholesale markets in various regions have adequate stocks of daily necessities such as grains, oils, meat, eggs, milk, fruits, and vegetables, and the stocks of daily necessities in key wholesale markets and supermarkets have increased by 10% to 30% compared with usual. On February 5, the average wholesale prices of grain, edible oil, beef and mutton in hundreds of large agricultural and sideline products wholesale markets across the country were basically the same as at the beginning of the month. The prices of pork and eggs increased by 2.1% and 0.7% respectively, and vegetable prices showed seasonal increases. The Commerce Department launched the "National Online New Year Shopping Festival" on January 18 (the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month). In late January, the sales of key monitored retail companies increased by 19.9% month-on-month, and the sales of key monitored e-commerce platforms increased by 20% year-on-year.
The Spring Festival holiday in 2024 will be longer than in previous years, and the number of trips is expected to hit a new high. Coupled with the recent widespread rain and snow weather across the country, it is very important to ensure the supply of daily necessities. Sheng Qiuping introduced that various localities have guided commercial circulation companies to expand procurement channels, increase the frequency of replenishment and put on shelves, and appropriately extend business hours. According to the consumption characteristics of the Spring Festival, increase the holiday supply of vegetables, fruits, meat, aquatic products and other commodities, and carry out convenient services such as "order online and pick up in store". For example, major wholesale markets such as Shanghai Jiangqiao Wholesale Market, Shangnongpi, and Jiangyang Aquatic Products are not closed during the holidays. More than 700 stores of 18 major supermarket chains in Beijing will operate normally during the Spring Festival. Guangzhou has guided key supply companies to increase inventory by 2-3 times the usual amount of some hot-selling products.
Domestic products, national trends, and national charm products have become the “new favorites” of consumers during the Spring Festival
In recent years, there have been more and more diverse choices, from the form and content of New Year’s Eve dinner to the way people celebrate the Spring Festival and the types of New Year goods they buy. Catering companies have launched "New Year's Eve dinner" dine-in reservations and home delivery. When people go out for leisure vacation, they can also choose to go north for skiing, go south for surfing, stroll in the city, etc. Domestic products, national fashion, and national charm products have become the "new favorites" of Spring Festival consumers. .
Xu Xingfeng, Director of the Department of Market Operation and Consumption Promotion of the Ministry of Commerce, believes that people’s consumption concepts have changed. Sales of sugar-free pastries, health gift boxes, low-fat snacks and other commodities have grown rapidly. Green products and services such as energy-saving home appliances and low-carbon travel are also widely popular. welcome. This year is the Year of the Dragon, and trendy new products with "dragon" elements are very popular. The atmosphere of traditional cultural consumption such as visiting markets, admiring lanterns, and watching performances is also becoming increasingly strong.
"More pursuit of green health, more emphasis on individuality and diversity, more emphasis on cultural characteristics, and greater preference for technology and intelligence. These four characteristics are currently very distinct." Xu Xingfeng said when introducing the new characteristics of my country's consumer market.
To this end, the Ministry of Commerce has complied with the consumption wishes of the people and launched festival scenes such as burning winter ice and snow, Laba Festival, celebrating Lantern Festival, and spring renewal, and guided the commerce authorities across the country to create a happy atmosphere to welcome the New Year and celebrate the New Year lively.
It is worth mentioning that since the "Online New Year Shopping Festival" was launched, online retail sales have reached nearly 800 billion yuan, an increase of nearly 9% over the same period last year, reaching 8.9%, achieving a good start for online consumption in 2024.
Various regions will issue over 600 million yuan in cultural and tourism consumption subsidies to benefit the people
Since New Year's Day in 2024, tourism in Harbin and other places has been booming, polishing the city's "golden character" with distinctive cultural tourism products, high-quality and efficient government services, a safe and comfortable consumption environment, and the warmth and enthusiasm of all citizens. "Signboard" also effectively boosted market confidence.
In order to continue the positive momentum of cultural tourism consumption, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism organized and carried out the "Celebrate the New Year with Joy" Spring Festival themed cultural and tourism activities, involving 25 main activities in seven major sectors. Miao Muyang, director of the Industrial Development Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said that during the Spring Festival, various regions will issue more than 600 million yuan in cultural and tourism consumption subsidies to benefit the people, which can be used to watch performances, visit scenic spots, taste delicious food, stay in hotels, and stay in dormitories, etc., so that the masses can Get benefits and enterprises will really benefit.
Wang Xiaopeng, head of the Sports Economics Department of the State Sports General Administration, said that this snow season is "similar" and "different" from previous years. "Together" refers to "concentric circles". The business formats surrounding ice and snow sports are becoming more and more abundant, and the ice and snow ecosystem is getting bigger and bigger. "Different" means that people's consumption concepts are changing, and more and more people are actively buying ice and snow equipment and making personalized combinations.
Data from relevant institutions show that in the fourth quarter of 2023, the transaction volume of ski equipment exceeded 1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 67%. In the two months of November and December 2023 alone, the 19 national-level ski resorts received a total of 9.43 million visitors, an average year-on-year increase of 316%, and sports and related revenue achieved 6.46 billion yuan, an average year-on-year increase of 543%.
In order to consolidate and expand the results of "driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports" and promote the quality and efficiency of the ice and snow industry, the General Administration of Sports will make full efforts to deepen the integration of business, tourism, culture, sports and health, and lay down the "three integration cards", namely sports events Fusion cards, fitness and leisure fusion cards and consumption scene fusion cards.
For example, the 14th National Winter Games will open in 10 days, and a series of exciting events will start in various places in Inner Mongolia. Wang Xiaopeng said: "We sincerely welcome everyone to pack up their bags and come to the 14th Winter Games in person to feel the vigorous sports power and high-spirited sportsmanship."
In addition, on February 5, the General Administration of Sports, together with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, released 12 high-quality sports tourism routes for the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, from the snowy Altay of Xinjiang to the blue sea and blue sky of Wanning, Hainan, covering ice and snow, water, hiking, and mountaineering , cycling and many other outdoor sports. We hope that people’s cultural tourism experience during the Spring Festival will be more affordable and enjoyable. (Beijing Daily)