Online beer sellers cheer on soccer frenzy

Beer consumption is set to soar at the upcoming FIFA World Cup after falling in recent years. And e-commerce sites are giving sales an added push as they entice customers with large discounts and home delivery.

In a run-up to the start of the soccer tournament being hosted by Brazil, 1.6 million cans of beer were snapped up on Tmall on June 4, the consumer website reported.

Sales jumped to 6.25 million yuan ($999,920), equivalent of 20 days' combined revenue of a large-scale supermarket in China, according to company data.