Shanghai splurges on online payments during May Day holiday
Shanghai ranked among top three in online payment collection during the May Day holiday, as spending on deliveries, travel destinations and leisure activities increased with consumer sentiment improved.
Spending on digital platforms increased significantly across all categories, with transportation, entertainment, and catering services leading the way, according to the most recent data from the payment platforms.
Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen were the top three cities to use WeChat to make payments.
Alibaba's food and grocery delivery site Ele.me received an average of 70 percent more delivery orders in Shanghai from travelers between 10pm and 12pm every day during the holiday.
Travelers to Hangzhou, Beijing and Suzhou spent the most on popular local foods such as steamed buns and scallion pancakes.
Xing Xing restaurant is packed with customers during the Labor Day holiday.
Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou were the top four cities for catering and leisure lifestyle service spending on the Meituan app over the first three days of the holiday.
Catering spending increased by 92 percent nationwide compared to the same period in 2019.
The most popular destinations in terms of visits and online payments in Shanghai were Nanjing Road E. Pedestrian Street, Wuajiaochang area, Disney Resort, Lujiazui and Jing'an Temple area.
The number of tickets sold at tourist spots and cultural activities and events has increased by 78 percent since the Chinese New Year holiday this year.
According to Shanghai tourism authorities, the city had over 15 million visitors, with key tourist spots showing higher foot traffic and income from pre-pandemic levels.
The Nanjing Road E. Pedestrian Street, Wuajiaochang area, Disney Resort, Lujiazui and Jing'an Temple were the most popular attractions in terms of visitors and online purchases from Meituan.
According to WeChat payment data, transaction size in the retail industry increased by 212 percent from 2019, while catering enterprises increased by 187 percent.
The number of Alipay payments at domestic locations increased 2.3 times from the previous year, with the total value increasing by 70 percent over 2019.
Digital payments for transportation also increased by 120 percent from 2019.
A customer passes by an outdoor banner of a restaurant in a crowded shopping and dining area.
Outbound travel has also grown in popularity.
According to Alipay, the average amount spent by users in overseas destinations increased by 40 percent compared to the same period in 2019. The total number of payments also surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
The leading destinations were China's Hong Kong and Macau, Japan, Thailand, and South Korea.
The daily average number of WeChat payments made in Japan increased by 141 percent, while the average payment value increased by 137 percent in Hong Kong and Macau.
