Festival fare: Imported food gains ground

Cross-border sales have been brisk on other retail platforms too. Sam's Club, Walmart's high-end membership store, has witnessed a shopping spree since early January.

Andrew Miles, president of Sam's Club China, said imported fresh food products are the top choice for many consumers who buy high-quality products during the celebrations.

For instance, cherries from Chile are one of the best-selling imported goods in its offline stores. During a recent one-day offline promotion event, the sales volume of Member's Mark Chilean cherries amounted to nearly 150 tons, up by over 500 percent year-on-year.

Sam's Club also saw the pre-order sales volume of imported cherries rise to more than 500 tons in three days on its online JD flagship store.

Charif Christian Carvajal, marketing director for Europe and Asia at the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association, said while Chinese are bundled up for winter weather, it's actually warm in Chile. "Cherries from Chile not only have counter-seasonal advantages, but also suit Chinese new year culture for its red color－which denotes luck and happiness. We hope the Chilean cherries will imbibe happiness and add color to the Chinese New Year market," Carvajal said.

Cherries are one of Chile's main exports, and the crop is usually harvested from November to February, making it one of the popular selections for Spring Festival shopping.

Chile is the largest supplier of cherries to China, which buys more than 85 percent of its exports. Statistics from the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association showed that Chile exported more than 125,000 tons of cherries to China over the last two years.

Carvajal claimed Chilean cherry producers and exporters are now working with Chinese e-commerce platforms to reach more shoppers in China, especially those living in the second-tier cities.