Taobao Flash Sale Releases “Summer Consumption Report”: Popular Cities Continue to Be Hot, Midwest Nighttime Economy Has Great Potential

The Zhitong Finance App learned that Taobao Flash Sale released the “Summer Consumption Report”. The report shows that summer consumption is popular all over the East, Central, and West, and Tier 1, 2, 3, and 4 cities. Orders from popular tourist cities such as Wuhan, Changsha, and Xi'an are growing rapidly, and related cities such as the “Soviet Super League” tournament and the “Zhejiang BA” tournament are particularly active. The vitality of the night economy has been further unleashed, and the central and western regions of the fastest growing city account for more than 80%. Consumption in central cities and tourist cities has increased significantly during the summer. In particular, the nighttime economy is booming. With Taobao flash sales orders, Chinese people have a richer summer nightlife. Since July, nighttime orders from 127 cities have increased by more than 100% compared to June, of which more than 8 are in the Midwest. Among them, Luohe, Baotou, Shuozhou, Xuchang, and Shangqiu became the five cities with the fastest growth in nighttime orders, all exceeding 200%.

In July of this year, nearly 160,000 small and medium-sized non-food businesses hit a peak in business. The recruitment and employment demand of enterprises in the catering industry has increased markedly. Since July, the number of people employed in DingTalk's catering industry has increased by hundreds of thousands, reflecting that physical stores are actively coping with the peak summer traffic. The growth trend is very clear compared to previous years.

Popular cities continue to be popular, the Midwest has huge potential for the night economy, and orders to hotels are growing in all directions

In addition to food, consumers are increasingly used to buying all kinds of products on Taobao flash sales, from daily necessities and flowers to beauty. In Panzhihua, Sichuan, orders for pet products in July increased 358% over June. In Turpan, Xinjiang, the trend in toys is growing rapidly, with a 450% increase over the previous month. In Luohe, Henan, orders for sports and outdoor products increased 613% month-on-month.

Consumption in popular tourist destinations is active, and orders for snacks, desserts, and regional dishes have increased significantly. Nighttime orders for barbecue in Kunming, spicy skewers from Changsha, ice powder from Wuhan, braised braised skewers from Nanjing, cold skewers from Qingdao, and braised cooked food from Chengdu have all increased by over 100% since July. According to the data, orders for weekend supper in Wuhan increased 110% month-on-month, and Taobao Flash Sale also launched a special “Invite Wuhan People to Woo” campaign on July 19 to further promote consumption in the Wuhan region.

It is the peak tourist season. Since July, there has been a marked increase in the number of people placing orders from other places on Taobao flash shopping. Cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou, Beijing, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Changsha, and Wuhan rank among the highest in the number of offsite orders, making them the most popular tourist cities.

Interestingly, there has been a significant increase in orders delivered to hotels. Regular travelers know that compared to visiting attractions or checking in at influencer stores, ordering takeout and eating supper at a hotel is the essence of contemporary travel. In addition to eating supper in a hotel, young people are also used to buying essential travel items such as disposable towels, disposable underwear, toothbrushes, and toothpaste on Taobao flash sales. The report shows that since entering the peak travel season in July, disposable toilet pads have increased 68% month-on-month. This also reflects the refined travel attitude of today's young people: eating is easy; you can just talk about instant noodles in a hotel, but the sense of ritual of going to the toilet in a different place is essential. The same refined attitude was reflected in toiletries, where orders for hair shampoo and bath travel kits increased 78% month-on-month.

Looking at scenic spots, the 10 fastest growing Taobao flash sales orders are: Kaifeng's Songdu Huangcheng Tourist Resort, Suzhou's Jinji Lake, Hangzhou's West Lake, Changsha's Chaozong District, Wuhan's East Lake Ecotourism Scenic Area, Beijing's Olympic Park, Guangzhou's Renmin South Historical and Cultural District, Meiling Ecological Tourism Resort in Nanchang, Shengsi Islands in Zhoushan, and Yalong Bay National Tourist Resort in Sanya.

The driving effect of cultural activities such as sporting events is obvious. Driven by the “Soviet Super League” competition, supper orders in more than 10 cities in Jiangsu Province doubled from week to week. On July 19, the day before “Su Chao” Changzhou played against Xuzhou, sales of peripheral products such as keychains and jerseys in Changzhou surged. In the Zhejiang BA competition area, sports and outdoor products in 11 cities in Zhejiang all increased 100% month-on-month.

The concert boosted the popularity of peripheral products. This weekend, concerts by singers such as Tao Zhe, Ren Xianqi, Lin Zhixuan, and Wilbur Poon were held in many places, boosting sales of peripheral products such as glow sticks and cheering cards. Since July, the number of glow sticks has increased by more than 70% month-on-month.

The cool economy is getting hot: air conditioning and fans are popular in Northeast China, beer and drinks are all auxiliary; ice cubes are the only output

As temperatures continue to rise in many parts of the country, sales of various cooling products on Taobao flash sales have risen sharply. Orders for small appliances such as ice cream machines, air coolers, and air conditioning fans all increased by more than 200%, while orders for large appliances such as air conditioners also increased by more than 150%.

In the Northeast region, many enthusiastic users were in a hurry and placed orders for air conditioners on Taobao flash purchases. Air conditioning was a no-brainer in previous years, but this year it is a “life-saving artifact,” and the vast majority of people in Northeast China don't want to wait too long for a moment. In addition to air conditioning, the data also showed that in the past week, the number of fan search orders in Harbin increased 4 times month-on-month, while Changchun and Shenyang increased 3 times respectively.

Consumption of ice products is also hot. Smoothies increased 98% month-on-month, and ice cream machines increased 879% month-on-month. Nighttime consumption is outstanding, and sales of cold beer far surpass daytime sales, making it the “standard cooling standard” for summer nights.

In addition, consumers are also buying “walking air conditioners” — portable cooling products such as neck fans, ice sleeves, and cooling stickers are selling very well. Whether on a trip or at an office, these compact and practical cooling artifacts have become a must-have choice.

Antipyretic drugs are also at a peak in sales. Agastache zhengqi water has become a regular item in household medicine kits. Orders for medicines to relieve fever increased 239% month-on-month, and mosquito bite products increased 61% month-on-month.

DIY ice drink combos keep getting hot. Ice glass sales have skyrocketed, and the takeout mix of “wine+ices+drink” continues to rise, which is greater than the growth rate of alcohol itself; the “drink+ice” takeout combination is also popular. The popular ice drink combination on Taobao flash shopping sums up the Chinese people's cooling methodology on hot summer days: no ice cubes, drink beer without alcohol, and Cola is not fragrant.

The boom in ice consumption has not only met the needs of consumers, but also injected new vitality into physical retail. The data shows that among businesses selling ice products, the ice consumption boom not only satisfies consumer needs, but also injects new vitality into physical retail. According to the data, among merchants selling ice products, Meiyijia's overall order volume increased 133% month-on-month, pick-up customers increased 135%, and kilometer purchases increased 83% month-on-month.

Upgrading the home economy: buying summer vacation homework for parents and children, buying toys for “furry kids”

For families who choose to relax at home, summer is also a golden time to arrange their lives and take care of their children. However, for school-age children, a “happy summer vacation” only appears in dreams. According to Taobao flash purchase order data, summer work-related products such as calligraphy books, homework books, and children's stationery have become just what parents need.

In contrast, the “Mao Kids” are clearly much happier during their summer vacation. While buying calligraphy books and homework books for their children, parents don't forget to buy pet supplies for “furry kids,” such as pet backpacks, leashes, Elizabeth collars, pet tents, etc. According to the data, orders for smart pet devices increased by nearly 50% month-on-month.

In the hot weather, the householders, who don't like to go out, pay more attention to their homes. Decorating at home on weekends has also become a way of life. Orders for flowers, greenery, and home decoration products increased significantly. Aromatherapy candles increased 344% month-on-month, and fresh-cut roses increased 172% month-on-month.

Taobao flash sales are also gradually becoming an energy supplement station for families. Sales of snacks such as small bags of nuts, oden, and energy bars are rising, and emergency kitchen supplies such as table salt, aged vinegar, and cooking wine in seasonings are also popular. In the middle of the night, sausages and chicken claws are often added to shopping carts along with instant noodles, making them a veritable instant noodle companion. Also, users left comments on Taobao's official WeChat: In order to make good use of every Taobao flash purchase, I lost 8 pounds this month.

With the popularity of fresh fruit cutting services, more and more consumers are choosing to buy ready-made fruit cuts. Orders for fruit categories such as lychee, grapes, mangoes, and watermelons are growing rapidly. Among them, four or more mixed fruit cuts are most popular among young people. The main theme is that more than one is good. Although they are all in one box, the pursuit of diverse flavors cannot be let go.

Since July, Taobao flash sales have witnessed the vigorous vitality of the summer consumer market. Whether it's a cooling artifact in the heat, city fireworks at night, or an exquisite upgrade of home life, every order on the platform is a true picture of the vitality of social consumption.