See What 11/11 Sales Reveal About These 9 Major Chinese Cities

Another 11/11 has come and gone, giving online shoppers a chance to go nuts and purchase everything they ever wanted at huge discounts. Aside from being a spectacle of spending, it also gives us an idea of what people from different Chinese cities are interested in. Tmall has released a set of statistics that show the differing consumption styles of 9 cities in China. Here are some surprising (and occasionally not so surprising) results…

note: most of the below percentages indicate how much above the overall national average the sales were.

Shanghai— Buying “Style”

It probably doesn’t come as a shock to anyone living here that Shanghai seemed to lean towards buying items that enhanced style. Sales for niche items like cufflinks in Shanghai were well above the national average, 169% higher. Also, their shopping standards were more international than most of the other cities, and the popularity of dryers was 313% higher. Shanghai also had more elderly online shoppers that other cities, 223% above average.

Chongqing—— Buying “Comfort”

Chongqing is widely considered the Leisure capital of China, and their online shopping habits reflected their desire for comfort items. The popularity of automatic mahjong machine was up 87%. Searched for matching outfits or something similar occupied 52% of total searches. And Chongqing ranked number one in sales of facial masks and sanitary towels.

Beijing—— Buying “Face”

Another non-shocker, Beijing people are typically known for their honor and down-to-earthness. This 11/11 they bought tons of items that matched that characterization. Mouthwash sales were up 99%. Sales of national costumes ranked number 1 in China. And apparently they love messing with their cats, the purchase of cat teasers and toys was 145% higher than the national average.

Guangzhou—— Buying “Enjoyment”

Guangzhou people love their morning tea, sales of pu'er tea were up 55% this year. They also must like music to go along with their tea, sales of speakers and audio equipment was107% higher than the average. Also, the purchase of electronic cosmetic instruments and eye massagers ranked top 1 nationwide.

Shenzhen—— Buying “Energy”

They must have quite the colorful nightlife down in Shenzhen, especially after the purchase of turntables this is 11/11 was (coincidentally) up 111%. High sales of drones, surfboards and “electric breast augmentation instruments” shows that they are open to exploring and having fun. 

Hangzhou—— Buying “Innovation”

Most know Hangzhou these days as the center of innovation in China. You have to keep all that tech safe though! The purchase of electronic door locks increased 150%. Segway sales went up 136%. Also, cosmetics for men ranked number 1 nationwide, so take that however you’d like.

Tianjin—— Buying “Old vs New”

Tianjin is a city straddling the line between old school and new. Searches for classic items like tobacco pipes were up 156%, while sales of yogurt machines and sushi making kits ranked number 1 in China. 

Nanjing—Buying “Literature and Art”

Nanjing is a poetic city that loves to read, and their 11/11 reflected that. Searches for Kindle were 273% higher than the national average!  But they must love their celebs as well, celebrity-branded items like posters, pillows, and other memorabilia ranked number 1 nationwide.

Chengdu—— Buying “Affection”

Chengdu people searched for “mules” (shoes) 71% above the national average (whatever that means), and accessories for couples (matching jewelry, clothing etc) increased 88%. 

Source: Tmall

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