'618' festival rings up strong sales at home and abroad

From the comfort of her sofa, Kristen Hayden recently bought a new air conditioner and some outdoor sporting products on Chinese e-commerce platforms.

"My friends can't stop talking about the '618' shopping spree. There are some pretty decent discounts if you can catch them in time," said Hayden, who is from the United States and works for a multinational company in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

"My favorite way to shop is lounging on the couch, scrolling through Taobao on my phone, and adding things to my shopping cart," she added.

Hayden said she was excited to snap up discounted items that she had been eager to purchase without spending too much money during the midyear promotional event. With shopping coupons, she enjoyed a discount of about 20 percent.

China's fast delivery services also impressed her. Most of the goods she ordered were delivered to her doorstep a day later. "It is quite convenient," she said.

Like Hayden, a large number of consumers at home and abroad have swarmed to Chinese online marketplaces to buy bargains during this year's "618" shopping carnival, which began in mid-May and culminates on June 18 (Wednesday). Home appliances and premium smart electronic products are among the most popular items this year, retailers said.

In order to attract more overseas consumers, Alibaba's e-commerce platform Taobao announced its free global delivery service will be expanded to 12 countries and regions during the promotional event.

Jimmy Perez, a university student in Sydney, Australia, said he loves to buy China-made goods directly because of their comparative affordability.

"I have downloaded Taobao and JD, and my mind has been opened, (there are) so many good things when I browse the apps," he said.

A juice extractor usually sells for more than 60 Australian dollars ($39.12) in Sydney, but he bought one for $28 via Taobao during the midyear promotional gala. "The money I saved is enough to buy a new one for a friend," he said.