Merchants at the world's largest textile professional market upbeat about sales recovery

With China Textile City, the world's largest textile professional market, seeing a strong rebound of customers and sales, merchants there have made preparations through different methods to promote sales, including product innovation, cross-border sales, and live-streaming.

Customers visit the Beilian market inside China Textile City in Shaoxing, east China’s Zhejiang Province. (Chinanews.com/Xiang Jing)

Located in Keqiao county, Shaoxing city, east China’s Zhejiang Province, China Textile City offers over 50,000 varieties of fabrics. Their products are sold in 192 countries or regions around the world. The textile city recorded over 1 million visits by customers in the week after the Spring Festival holidays, setting a record for the last three years.

Wang Jiangfeng, a merchant at the market, has launched three new product series. In the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, his orders increased by 20 to 30 percent year on year. He is optimistic for business in 2023, predicting that the number of orders will increase significantly.

Textile merchants exchange information on curtains in China Textile City in Shaoxing, east China’s Zhejiang Province. (Chinanews.com/Xiang Jing)

Hu Chang, who focuses on interior decoration designs and textile R&D, had a good start to the year. “I can feel a strong sign of recovery. I hope to engage with more foreign buyers, and bring my products to the world,” he said.

Hu’s products have been selling well around the world for over 10 years. However, sales virtually ground to a halt after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He is looking forward to further exploring overseas markets this year.

A merchant arranges curtain samples in China Textile City in Shaoxing, east China’s Zhejiang Province. (Chinanews.com/Xiang Jing)

The textile business has attracted many foreign businessmen, such as Indian merchant Bobby, who has settled down in Keqiao. “Both my clients and sellers in the market are optimistic about this year’s prospects. I am looking forward to welcoming more clients,” said Bobby. “Recently, many of my Indian clients called me and are planning to visit China in February.”

A merchant transports fabrics in China Textile City in Shaoxing, east China’s Zhejiang Province. (Chinanews.com/Xiang Jing)

Wang Li, a 10-year veteran of Beilian market in the textile city, believes that this year’s sales will definitely outperform last year’s, but said that recovery takes time.

“We did see large numbers of customers at the beginning of the year, but textile sales have peak and slack seasons. We need to respond to the situation calmly in order to recover our lost orders,” said Wang.

A merchant talks with a client in China Textile City in Shaoxing, east China’s Zhejiang Province. (Chinanews.com/Xiang Jing)

The textile city upgraded its facilities before the Chinese New Year in order to support shopkeepers. Over 300 stores in Beilian market alone have been renovated this year.