China's smart glasses sales surge amid growing privacy concerns
What's the story
China has witnessed a massive surge in the sale of smart glasses, with sales on major platforms more than doubling in the first eight months of this year. This comes as wearable tech faces growing privacy concerns globally, particularly over recording and facial data collection. The country's Ministry of Commerce revealed this trend in a statement on Sunday. The report also highlighted significant growth in other tech categories such as electrocardiogram monitors and action cameras during the same period.
Tech boom
Other tech categories also show impressive growth
Along with smart glasses, China's electrocardiogram monitors also saw a massive 75% increase in sales.
Action cameras weren't far behind, witnessing an impressive growth of about 27%.
The Ministry of Commerce also noted that service retail sales grew by 4.9% between January and August this year, outpacing goods by a margin of 3.9% points.
Consumption trends
Shift in consumption patterns
The Ministry of Commerce also observed a shift in China's consumption patterns, moving toward a more balanced spending between goods and services.
This was particularly evident during the summer holiday period when tourism-related and leisure services witnessed rapid growth.
On the other hand, petroleum-product sales dropped by 6.1% due to an increase in new energy use.
Market dynamics
Rural retail sales on the rise
Rural retail sales in China have also witnessed a growth of 2.3%, 1.3% points faster than in the urban areas.
This shows a shift in consumer behavior, with county and rural markets now accounting for 39% of the total for retail consumer goods, up by 0.3% points from last year.