China's online sales value of home appliances saw robust growth in H1, according to a report released Wednesday by the China Center for Information Industry Development.

The report showed that online business-to-customer sales of home appliances on the Chinese market hit 216 billion yuan (about 32 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2017, up 16.9 percent year on year.

The online sales value accounted for nearly one-third of the country's total home appliance sales, the report said.

The traditional "big four home appliances" -- flat panel TV, air conditioner, refrigerator and washing machine -- remained popular among online consumers.

Air cleaners, water purifiers and dish washers were also among the bestsellers.

"The commodity structure has optimized with the sales increase of smart and high-end goods," said Hu Yan with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, showcasing the result of China's ongoing supply-side structural reform.

Sales of domestic brands performed better than foreign competitors.