Ministry of Commerce: The total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 1.9% from January to April, showing a stable operation of the consumer market and a trend towards new and superior development.

The head of the Department of Consumption Promotion of the Ministry of Commerce talked about the situation of China's consumption market in April 2026. From January to April, with the deepening implementation of the consumption promotion special action, policies such as trading in old goods for new ones, prize-winning invoices, and departure tax refunds continued to show their effects, and the consumption market showed a stable operation and a trend towards new and superior development. The total retail sales of goods and services grew by 3.2% year-on-year (same below). Among them, the total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 1.9%, excluding automobiles and petroleum, which increased by 3.7%; service retail sales increased by 5.6%. First, basic daily necessities continued to grow steadily, and there was a strong demand for green and intelligent products. In April, the retail sales of grain and oil food, clothing, and footwear of quota-free units increased by 4.1% and 3.6% respectively. The trade-in of old goods for new ones drove the sales of green and intelligent products to grow rapidly. According to business data from the Ministry of Commerce, in April, the sales of smart glasses on key platforms increased by 5.9 times, handheld photography equipment by 26.9%, smart blood glucose meters by 12.3%, and level-one energy-efficient washing machines by 10.4%; the market penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles reached 61.4%, exceeding 60% for the first time. Second, the consumption structure is optimized and upgraded, and service consumption is steadily expanding. China's per capita GDP has exceeded $13,000, and consumer spending is accelerating its upgrade from survival and basic consumption to development and quality consumption, shifting from a focus on commodity consumption to a balance between commodity and service consumption. From January to April, the growth rate of service retail sales increased by 0.5 percentage points compared to the same period last year. Among them, catering revenue grew by 3.8%; retail sales of tourism consulting and leasing services, transportation services, and cultural and leisure services all maintained double-digit growth. Third, rural consumption is growing faster than urban consumption, and the potential of the sinking market is being unleashed. From January to April, rural retail sales of consumer goods increased by 2.8%, with a growth rate 1 percentage point faster than urban areas. The proportion of county and township retail sales of consumer goods in total social retail sales reached 39.7%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points from the same period last year. Fourth, inbound consumption continues to heat up, and outbound tax refunds have significantly increased. With the continuous expansion of visa-free countries, the optimization and upgrade of the departure tax refund policy, and the orderly implementation of the "Buy in China" campaign, the "inflow of inbound tourists" is accelerating the transformation into "increased consumption". In the first quarter, the export of travel services increased by 32.3% year-on-year. From January to April, the outbound tax refund sales in Guangzhou and Shenzhen increased by 186% and 145% respectively, while in Shanghai and Beijing they increased by 65% and 45% respectively. This article is selected from the Ministry of Commerce, edited by GMTEight: Feng Qiuyi.