School return leads to shopping bonanza

As back to school shopping is officially underway, tens of millions of college students have become the driving force in the expanding shopping market, especially the online one.

Liu Yang, a senior at Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, recently bought a new iPhone 6s from JD.com Inc's e-shop, China's second largest B2C online platform.

"I need to be better prepared for the new semester. And a brand new smartphone will be a perfect bonus for my next journey, like looking for jobs." said the 22-year-old Liu.

For Liu Yujing, a 20-year-old junior at the North China University of Technology, back to school season is one of the best times for shopping.

"My parents gave me more money for the new semester. So, I bought coats, T-shirts, trousers, shoes, make-up and other personal stuff, totaling nearly 11,000 yuan ($1650).

As an integral participant in the back to school shopping season, e-commerce platforms have become the "main battlefield" for online shopping. JD.com launched a one-month promotional festival, from Aug 11 to Sept 12, for the back-to-school season, including cellphones, digital products, computer office supplies, books, audio and video products, plus items for travel and daily life

China's biggest e-commerce platform, Taobao, and other online platforms also offer various promotional activities, such as providing discounts or free maintenance for the purchased goods.

"Compared to previous years, college students' current online spending has increased a lot, and there will be a peak of consumption before the 'Double Eleven' online shopping festival," said Chu Shiyuan, marketing general manager of 3C (computer, communications and consumer electronics) business department at JD.com Inc.

Chu added that, among the 3C category of commodities, students usually bought computer office supplies, mobile phones, digital products and books.

According to JD's statistics, during its "618" online shopping festival, the number of purchased goods by college students on JD's e-shop grew 300 percent from last year, with the sales value up by 500 percent. The data also show that college students prefer to purchase commodities in the categories of beauty & health, food & drinks, computer office supplies, books and mobile phones.

Xiang Ligang, telecom expert and CEO of the industry website cctime.com, said that September and October are peak seasons for sales, and the total sales for cellphones and computers will grow significantly higher during that time, due to the back to school spending.