Data from the Ministry of Commerce's business big data monitoring shows that sales of embodied intelligent robots on key platforms surged by 95.1% in July, highlighting the rapid expansion of new consumption drivers.

On August 20, the official in charge of the Consumer Promotion Department of the Ministry of Commerce briefed the media on the state of China's consumer market for July 2026. According to the ministry's figures, the domestic consumer market has maintained a trajectory of innovation and quality improvement this year, with the overall market scale steadily expanding and development quality continuously rising.

From January to July, total retail sales of consumer goods and services increased by 2.6% year-on-year. Retail sales of consumer goods reached 28.77 trillion yuan, up 1.2%, with sales excluding automobiles growing by 2.7%.

First, the quality and upgrading of goods consumption continued to advance. In July, retail sales of goods grew by 0.5%. Sales of daily necessities remained stable, with retail sales of grain, oil, and food; beverages; and daily-use articles by units above the designated size rising 5.3%, 3.5%, and 1.8%, respectively. Certain upgraded categories saw faster growth, with retail sales of communication equipment, cultural and office supplies, and cosmetics increasing by 20.4%, 7.4%, and 6.8%, respectively.

Second, the services consumption sector presented a host of bright spots. The potential of summer vacation services consumption was fully unleashed. From January to July, services retail sales grew by 5.0%, continuing to outpace the growth rate of goods retail sales. Within this, catering revenue rose by 2.6%, while retail sales of tourism consulting and leasing services, as well as cultural, sports, and leisure services, grew by more than 10%. The summer movie season was particularly vibrant, with total box office receipts in July exceeding 5 billion yuan, up over 20%.

Third, new types of consumption are flourishing. The trade-in program for consumer goods has spurred growth in green and intelligent consumption. In July, the retail penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles reached 65.1%, setting another record high. Ministry of Commerce big data further reveals that in July, sales of embodied intelligent robots on key platforms grew by 95.1%, exoskeleton assist devices by 39.5%, action cameras by 24.7%, and robot vacuum cleaners by 19.4%.

Fourth, the urban-rural consumption structure continues to optimize. From January to July, retail sales of consumer goods in rural areas reached 3.8 trillion yuan, up 2.4%, a growth rate 1.3 percentage points faster than that in urban areas. The momentum of the county-level consumer market is strengthening, with the share of retail sales in counties and townships, including towns and villages, accounting for 39.1% of total retail sales of consumer goods, an increase of 0.3 percentage points compared with the same period last year.