China’s less-developed regions have been fueling the country’s consumption upgrade, and this trend was no different during Alibaba Group’s 6.18 Mid-Year Shopping Festival (“6.18”). From June 1 to 10, Boluo county in southern China’s Guangdong province, Guangrao county in central China’s Shandong province and Yanshou county in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province generated the most orders on Taobao Deals, Alibaba’s dedicated app for direct-from-supplier products.
Favoring high-quality goods and services that enhance their living habits and standards, especially in the wake of the global pandemic, consumers from lower-tier markets showed a particular interest in personal care and wellness products. On June 1, the first official day of 6.18, mouthwash sales on Taobao Deals surged 560 times year over year, breath freshener orders jumped 14 times YoY and sales for electric nose-hair trimmers increased more than threefold YoY. Massage devices were also massively popular; portable massage guns, in particular, saw an explosive 27,000% YoY growth in sales.
To meet the growing demand from the country’s less-developed areas during the shopping festival, Taobao Deals featured 500,000 different products from Alibaba’s 1688.com online wholesale marketplace as well as more than 20,000 tons of farm-to-app agricultural goods.
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