Shopping online gaining ground in Beijing

Online shopping has become the No 1 choice for shoppers in Beijing, as online sales overtook sales at brick-and-mortar stores during the first ten months of the year, said a report.

According to the 2013 Bluebook of Beijing Commerce Development released on Sunday, online sales in Beijing in the first ten months grew by 44.9 percent year-on-year to 71.66 billion yuan ($11.8 billion), accounting for about 10.5 percent of the overall retail sales in Beijing.

"Online sales in the first ten months has overtaken sales at brick-and-mortar stores for the first time, becoming the main engine that drives up Beijing's consumption," said Lu Yan, director-general of Beijing municipal commerce commission.

The overall retail sales in Beijing in the first ten months increased 8.9 percent year-on-year to 681.4 billion yuan. However, the growth momentum is down 2.7 percentage points compared with the same time last year, said the report.

Hit by the soaring e-commerce industry, the sales at brick-and-mortar stores have shown signs of slowing down. Statistics showed that the combined sales at 81 department stores in Beijing increased 8.92 percent year-on-year to 228.27 billion yuan in 2012. However, the growth rate of sales at department stores in Beijing in 2011 was 16.7 percent.