Yichang e-commerce sales surge during 618 shopping festival

By Chen Zai. 

During the 618 promotion, Yicha Group used dedicated livestreams to raise brand visibility.

The 618 shopping festival is in full swing. Major e-commerce companies in Yichang are boosting sales through online-offline integration and livestreaming, driving steady growth in both orders and revenue.

On June 15, staff at Hubei Ditiantai Business Development worked at full capacity to process and pack festival orders. General manager Huang Shengguo said sales on Taobao, JD.com and Douyin rose 30 percent during the promotion.

Tea producers are also using the festival to extend the spring tea sales season. Yicha Group launched dedicated livestreams to increase brand visibility. During the promotion, its online sales rose 28 percent compared with the previous month. Wufeng Maojian and Spring Buds were among its best-selling products.

From January to April 2026, designated-size wholesale and retail enterprises in Yichang recorded 2.74 billion yuan (US$405.48 million) in online retail sales, up 15.1 percent year on year.

Online sales accounted for 16.2 percent of total retail sales, 1.7 percentage points higher than a year earlier. Online consumption is playing an increasingly important role in the city’s economy.