Stores ready to battle online retailers

A poster advises the discounts of Victory Mall in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo/sohu.com]

As the Nov 11 online shopping festival approaches, the physical stores in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region are running a price promotion to draw customers away from Tmall or Taobao.

Most of the malls and shopping centers in Hohhot have rolled out days of deals, eyeing a big slice of the cake. 

Residents who are anticipating cheaper prices for products during the forthcoming shopping festival may not necessarily find them online.

A home appliances store at Zhongshan Road in Huimin district has been slashing prices by up to 50 per cent since Nov 1, ten days before the shopping spree. Bargain hunters can get 50% off everything, and 3,000 points when they spend 4,999 yuan ($753) or more.

Despite the hype around e-commerce and online shopping, some consumers still like to shop in-store for the personal experience stores offer.

"Online shopping is convenient, but I can't touch and feel products. And it's troublesome to return and exchange products when purchasing online. So I am willing to shop in physical stores if there's not much difference in price," said a resident surnamed Jia.

Enticed by steep discounts on an array of products, a woman surnamed Yang bought a pair of shoes in a shopping center. 

"The price is very attractive in the physical stores. I don't have to wait for my parcels -- I can bring my shoes home right now," said Yang.