Personalized services see demand jump

More than 160 themed services consumption promotional events will be held across China in the rest of 2026, helping spur consumer spending and create new growth opportunities in the services sector, said a senior government official.

Speaking at the launch ceremony for a national services consumption promotion campaign in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Monday evening, Vice-Minister of Commerce Yan Dong said these activities will foster diverse consumption scenarios and broader participation, promote differentiated offerings and stronger consumer engagement, and drive the expansion and upgrading of household consumption.

China's services sector has grown steadily in both scale and sophistication, serving as a key driver of industrial upgrading, job creation and improvements in living standards.

The country's value-added services output rose 5.4 percent year-on-year to 80.89 trillion yuan ($11.96 trillion) in 2025, with the sector contributing 61.4 percent of the country's overall economic growth, said the National Bureau of Statistics.

Wang Xuekun, head of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, said services consumption is expected to evolve more rapidly toward greater personalization, stronger experiential elements, deeper digitalization, closer cross-sector integration, enhanced social interaction and more systematic policy support.

Wang said that cross-sector integration is notably accelerating, with travel linked to concerts, micro-dramas and sporting events becoming increasingly popular. New models are emerging, with major events drawing visitors and generating revenue opportunities across the cultural, tourism and related service sectors.

Reflecting this broader trend, the Zhejiang provincial government on Monday announced a series of measures for 2026 to boost services consumption spanning catering, eldercare, digital healthcare, the pet economy and sports tourism integration.

Shanghai also aims to make its services sector more digitalized, standardized, integrated and international under its growth plan for 2026-30, further strengthening the city's economic resilience and its role in allocating services resources globally.

The plan, released on Monday, targets average annual growth of at least 5.5 percent in services-sector value added by 2030, with labor productivity exceeding 450,000 yuan per capita.

By upgrading consumption patterns, catering to personalized demand and broadening the supply of inclusive, high-quality services, China can further unleash the potential of services consumption, said Chen Jianwei, a researcher at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.

"This will help reinforce domestic demand and strengthen the resilience of the domestic economy as consumers place greater emphasis on services and experiences rather than simply buying more goods," Chen said.

As concert-driven consumption continues to gain momentum in China, Watsons — a health and beauty products retailer based in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region — has introduced concert-themed makeup and styling services this year at select stores in cities including Beijing; Shanghai; Chongqing; Chengdu, Sichuan province; and Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province.

The company said the makeup and styling services for concertgoers have become an increasingly important part of the overall entertainment experience, alongside social media check-ins and other fan activities, creating new opportunities for urban consumption and lifestyle services.

Watsons said its concert-themed beauty services have attracted strong consumer interest, driving higher foot traffic and cosmetics sales. As experience-led consumption continues to grow, the retailer plans to upgrade 1,500 stores across the Chinese mainland this year and strengthen its presence in key cultural and tourism destinations.

zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn