Owing to the outbreak of the current pandemic, online sales during China's mid-year 6.18 Shopping Festival are expected to rise rapidly, with digital transformation of enterprises steadily accelerating.

(Photo/Xinhua)

Compared with previous years, this year’s 6.18 Shopping Festival is different in that live streaming has greatly promoted online sales, and the department store industry has accelerated its digital transformation.

In order to boost consumption, the commerce commission in southwest China's Chongqing has distributed 119 million yuan (about $16.8 million) of consumption coupons, with more than 2,000 shops participating.

From June 6 to 12, at 10 a.m. every day, citizens can search Alipay, a payment app in China, for "consumption coupons" and get 85 yuan worth of coupons and gift bags, with a daily limit of 200,000.

In addition, to boost consumption, Suning, an online and offline retailer in China, Alipay and other payment platforms, e-commerce platforms and offline brick-and-mortar businesses have jointly issued coupons for shopping, catering, take-out, home appliances, etc.