Tmall has released the top ten new purchases for Chinese New Year, known in Chinese as nianhuo 年货, for 2021. Nianhuo are the products that consumers buy ahead of Chinese New Year, including food, clothes, toys and fireworks, and have traditionally revolved around items that symbolize good fortune.
However, driven by young consumers, “new” nianhuo have topped the list this year :
- New Year’s Eve meal kits
- Chinese New Year clothes for pets
- Window cleaning robots
- Coffee gift boxes
- Pull-up bars for doorframes
- Smart toilet seats
- Low-calorie wine
According to Tmall, post-90s users made up over 60% of orders placed on the platform during the “2021 National Online Chinese New Year Shopping Festival”. Sales of smart home products and other homeware goods, including quilt warmers, noodle makers, steak cookers and dishwashers, grew by over 100% on Tmall during the festival with some even reaching 1000%. The festival was launched by the government in partnership with e-commerce companies in order to promote online consumption in the run-up to Chinese New Year as COVID-19 cases grow.
Alibaba’s smart logistics platform Cainiao will also launch its “24/7 Chinese New Year” campaign in more than 200 cities. From February 4 to 19, couriers will work all hours to ensure that orders are shipped and delivered on time during Chinese New Year. Usually, the majority of couriers and logistics operators have Chinese New Year off. However, as consumers are being encouraged to remain at home, Cainiao has increased its capacity to manage the demand. Together with Tmall and Taobao, Cainiao will provide 200 million RMB subsidies for couriers who need to work during Chinese New Year.
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