China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported on 16 September that total retail sales of consumer goods rose 0.4% year on year in August to 3.9824 trillion yuan. The January–August total was 32.7569 trillion yuan, 1.1% above the same period a year earlier. Sales excluding automobiles rose 2.5% in August and 2.7% over the first eight months. The figures are nominal and are not adjusted for price changes. The bureau also reports sales of goods and catering revenue separately, distinctions that help define what the headline retail measure includes.

In August, goods sales increased 0.3% year on year, while catering revenue rose 1.1%. Sales in urban areas grew 0.2% and those in rural areas 1.6%. Among product categories, telecommunications equipment sales climbed 27.3%, while motor-vehicle sales fell 18.5%. Online sales of goods increased 4.3% in January–August; including online services, the broader online retail total reached 13.4766 trillion yuan, up 4.6%. The data show diverging patterns across sales channels and products. Retail sales are not a direct measure of household expenditure or inflation-adjusted consumption volume.