Sales boom on mid-year festival

The potential of Chinese consumers' online shopping is far from being tapped. Apart from Nov 11, or Singles Day, the country's biggest shopping day, Chinese consumers are unleashing their spending power during the mid-year online shopping spree.

Chinese e-commerce giant JD Inc reported its sales during the mid-year online shopping festival reached 119.9 billion yuan ($17.6 billion). Other e-commerce heavyweights also jumped on the bandwagon to offer special offers and attract more consumers.

During the "6.18" anniversary sales event between June 1-18, which was launched by JD, the firm said more than 700 million items have been sold. The transaction volume increased more than 50 percent compared to the same period last year.