A trade center in Jiaxing. [Photo/WeChat account: jxfabu]

Jiaxing's retail sales of consumer goods reached 156.55 billion yuan ($23.15 billion) in the first half of this year, up 8.2 percent year-on-year, ranking first among Zhejiang province.

The strong performance reflects a shift in consumer behavior, with more experience-focused spending, lifestyle enhancements, and innovative retail models instead of conventional product buying.

Experience-oriented consumption continued to gain momentum. Jiaxing attracted nearly 400 first stores across three commercial clusters. The city also organized more than 300 promotional events and issued over 200 million yuan in consumption vouchers during the first half of the year, generating nearly 6 billion yuan in related spending. Catering revenue rose 9.3 percent to 10.91 billion yuan.

Large-scale cultural and sporting events also boosted local consumption. Concerts and music festivals drew visitors from across China, supporting spending on hotels, restaurants, shopping, and tourism. Sporting events, including the Wuyue Cup soccer tournament, further stimulated the local economy, while newly opened sports facilities encouraged greater participation in recreational activities. Rural tourism also remained strong, with retail sales in rural areas up 8.7 percent year-on-year.

Traditional wholesale markets are also embracing digital transformation. Major apparel trading centers in Haining, Pinghu, Puyuan, and Honghe expanded through cross-border e-commerce, livestreaming, and brand development, while AI-assisted design tools improved efficiency and enabled more customized production. During the first half, Puyuan's transaction volume reached 43.61 billion yuan, an increase of 6.56 percent year-on-year.