Night owls accelerate China’s online shopping scene

New data from JD’s Big Data Research Institute has identified that shopping between the hours of 8-11 is growing fast, with new cohort’s driving this phenomenon.

Why it matters

Described as a “stampede” by the e-commerce giant in a release, people are spending big on their health and wellness at night. Treats, however, in terms of beauty products or even alcohol remain important at night.

What’s happening

• Online sales in China between 8 and 11pm increased over 100% year-over-year (measured between 1^st May and 1^st July).
• Health and wellness is the biggest spike: spending on medicine products in China has seen a five fold increase, while fitness equipment has tripled. At home work-outs, it appears, are here to stay.
• Pastimes are popular areas of spending at night too. Sales in alcohols, skincare and beauty products, as well as pet services have also surged by 100%.
• Digital products (everything from movies, music, e-books, courses) are seeing the largest boom at night, with sales climbing more than 500%.
• Those born between 1985 and 1990 (known as post-85s in China, where the swift pace of economic and social change means 15-year generations are next to useless) are driving much of this growth, with 40% of total sales coming from this group, which places 51% of its orders at night.
• Fast delivery powers growth of online shopping in smaller cities. Data from JD Daojia (JDDJ), the company’s sub-1-hour delivery service shows the 10 highest sales increase in lower-tier cities.

Sourced from JD