China's online retail sales surge during 'Double 11' shopping festival

The online retail sales in China saw a year-on-year growth of 26.7 percent during the "Double 11" shopping spree, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Nov 14.

From November 1 to 11, online retail sales exceeded 870 billion yuan (about $124.13 billion), MOC spokesperson Gao Feng told a press conference.

New products such as newly released cellphones and sports watches became popular during "Double 11," as more brands chose to release new products on e-commerce platforms, Gao said.

Service consumption reported rapid growth. Appointments of health services like medical cosmetics and physical examinations saw a five-fold surge while online travel sales more than doubled.

About 70 percent of new e-commerce users came from emerging markets including third and fourth-tier cities, as well as counties and townships, according to Gao.

In addition, the development of the online-to-offline platforms and artificial intelligence also helped to expand consumption and improve logistics efficiency, Gao noted.