Upgrading, rural shoppers lift home appliance sector

China's home appliance sector saw steady growth in the first half of 2019, with total revenue reaching 429.7 billion yuan ($62.4 billion), fueled by consumption upgrades and explosive growth of online retail in small towns and rural areas, a report showed.

More than 40 percent of sales revenue came from e-commerce channels, 7.5 percentage points higher than that of same period last year, according to a report released by the China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID) under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Chinese consumers tend to buy high-quality, intelligent and personalized products such as floor-cleaning robots, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers and electric toothbrushes, the report said. Moreover, Chinese home appliance makers and online retailers are accelerating efforts to further tap the consumption potential from rural areas.