Chinese shoppers choose cosmetics products at a duty free shop in Seoul, South Korea. (ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY)
According to official data, more than 6.11 million Chinese people traveled to South Korea in 2015, with their per capita spending reaching 14,283 million yuan.
Nevertheless, I still wondered why so many Chinese tourists elbowed their way into the Lotte Duty Free Shop to buy cosmetics, while holding smartphones in their hands for video talks their relatives and friends in China.
Li Fang, my former colleague who often goes to South Korea for shopping, said that many Chinese shoppers, especially those who are unfamiliar with South Korean cosmetics brands, and the prices and functions of different products, need to consult their domestic friends and relatives through video phones. Some people were asking friends and relatives at home which products to buy.
Gao Hucheng, minister of commerce, said earlier this year that Chinese outbound consumption reached 1.5 trillion yuan in 2015. Of which, at least 700 billion yuan to 800 billion yuan were spent on shopping. Middle－and high-income groups accounted for a considerable proportion of the Chinese shoppers overseas, with their shopping items shifting from the luxury brands and high-end products they bought two years ago to high-quality, cost-effective goods suitable for daily consumption.
I believe that the huge Chinese outbound spending mirrors current comparatively inadequate consumption in our country. Why don't they buy similar products here? The current supply-side reforms promoted by the government should be pushed further to encourage purchases within China of both domestic and overseas products.
By WU YUNHE
