It's through websites like Alibaba's AliExpress, the most used online shop, that overseas consumers are able to purchase made-in-China products. (Photo : Getty Images)
Shopping during the Spring Festival season is an annual tradition among Chinese, and a practice that has taken the world by storm thanks to e-commerce, according to an article by China Daily.
It's through websites like AliExpress, the most used online shop, that overseas consumers are able to purchase made-in-China products
One company that reaped the benefits was Xi'an Silk Road Crafts Co. Ltd., which received a bulk order of over 1,000 red lanterns made of Chinese fabric. The order came from Spain and arrived on Jan. 20.
Orders for other Chinese New Year-related products also came pouring from Russia, Germany, Canada and France.
"Fabric lanterns priced between $1.5 and $4.3 each are the most popular items this year. Usually, overseas buyers place their Spring Festival orders in summer every year. But we have seen additional orders around the year-end, too," shared Elena Zhang, sales manager of the company.
"We infer enthusiasm among overseas consumers for Chinese New Year has been increasing. Also, the convenience of e-commerce appears to increase sales this year," Zhang added.
Chinese cities are also experiencing the prosperity. Yiwu in particular experienced increase in sales to overseas customers since international shipping operations opened late December last year. So far, over 1 million parcels were shipped out of China by mid-January.
The establishment of international shipping operations also helped other countries like Yiwu Wonderful Lantern Co. Ltd., a company that has been receiving huge orders from countries like Malaysia since January.
"Our China Dream series of lanterns were the bestsellers among overseas Chinese this year. Some of them told me the lanterns make them feel as if they were celebrating the New Year on the Chinese mainland," said Xia Rongwang, the company's manager.
Among overseas buyers, Russians take the lead with over 30 million online shoppers. These cost-conscious shoppers spend money on a variety of products, from made-in-China clothes to other products.
Canadians are also among China's top overseas consumers. According to DHGate, a Chinese online marketplace, sofa throws, bed throws and other winter items are popular among Canadians.
