Holiday spending fuels the boom in instant retail, with Meituan's non-catering instant retail orders exceeding 27 million on Qixi Festival.
On August 29th, Chinese Valentine's Day, Meituan's non-restaurant instant retail orders reached a new high of 27 million. Driven by the "Give Everything" flash sale, Meituan's overall gift spending reached a new high. Flower sales peaked, while sales of categories like digital computers, beauty products, and jewelry doubled. Consumers' per capita spending on 3C appliances, cosmetics, and skincare products increased significantly compared to last year's Chinese Valentine's Day. On Chinese Valentine's Day, sales of various digital products and small appliances on the platform increased exponentially: electric shavers and children's smartwatches saw sales increase by over sixfold year-on-year; cervical massagers saw sales increase by over three times; and Polaroid cameras doubled. Gold jewelry sales increased by over sixfold year-on-year, while pearl jewelry saw a four-fold increase. Sales of cosmetics and skincare products, such as lotions and perfumes, increased by over two times. Sales of sports equipment, such as running shoes and sports T-shirts, saw a five-fold increase. Premium flowers, such as Disney co-branded IP bouquets and cultural and museum-themed new Chinese-style bouquets, became the mainstream gift choice for consumers, driving Meituan's flower sales to a new high. This year's Qixi Festival saw a trend toward more diversified and high-quality gifting, expanding from flowers to a full range of product categories. This drove significant sales growth in high-priced categories such as digital computers, beauty and skincare, and jewelry, leading to a surge in both order volume and average order value. As Qixi Festival gifting evolved from flowers and chocolates to flash sales of everything, instant retail became a key driver of business growth for major brands and retailers. On Qixi Festival, over 500 brands and retailers across beauty, consumer goods, fast-moving consumer goods, department stores, and alcohol saw sales multiply year-over-year on the platform, including Huawei, Sephora, Watsons, All Cotton Time, and Waima Wine Delivery.
