Over the past five years, the total retail sales of consumer goods in Beijing increased from 770.28 billion yuan (US$115.4 billion) in 2012 to 1.1 trillion yuan in 2016, up 50 percent, ranking the first in China for the ninth consecutive year.

With the emergence of the "Internet Plus," consumption methods have greatly diversified. Data from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce shows that Beijing's online retail sales rocketed from 59.68 billion yuan in 2012 to 204.9 billion yuan in 2016, nearly quadrupling over the five years.

In 2015, Beijing launched the three-year-long energy conservation action in an effort to guide public consumption to greener products, including offering subsidies of up to 800 yuan to consumers who purchase energy-saving products. According to the survey, over 70 percent of consumers in Beijing purchased energy-saving goods in 2016.

As for business promotion, the time for opening a new retail store has been shortened from four or five months to only two months. From Nov. 3, 2016, foreign-funded enterprises which set up retail stores in Beijing can register for a business license without applying for approval from the commerce department.

Furthermore, Beijing issued the action plan on promoting the service industry in 2015, in a bid to offer greater convenience to citizens. By the end of June this year, a total of 3,140 convenience spots have been built and upgraded in Beijing, including vegetable retail stores, convenience stores and breakfast stalls, covering 86.8 percent of the whole city and all six of the city districts.

As Beijing relocates its non-capital functions, new complexes which integrate various services for the public have replaced the large vacated communities. Officials said that due to the new style of commerce transactions, these complexes provide high-quality products at a one-stop service. Currently, Beijing has built 40 service complexes, and more brand chains will be introduced to communities in the future.

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