Shenzhen's home appliance retailers experienced a notable sales surge over the weekend, following the city's introduction of consumer goods trade-in subsidies, reports Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.

In April, the central government of China unveiled an action plan for local governments to encourage and facilitate trade-ins of used goods for smart, environmentally friendly, and low-carbon alternatives. In response, the Shenzhen municipal government launched its trade-in program on Friday, offering subsidies of up to 20 percent on the price of new products.

Shenzhen's program expands on the national-level and provincial-level trade-in programs. The national program covers eight categories: refrigerator, washing machine, television sets, air conditioners, computers, water heaters, cooking range and range hood. Guangdong province added three categories: smart phone, tablet computer and smart wearable devices. And Shenzhen included another six categories: consumer drones, robots, computer servers, projectors, smart sports gear, and coffee makers.

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Retailers have reported immediate positive impacts from the trade-in program. Zeng, a manager at Sundan's Huaqiangbei outlet, noted a surge in customer interest, with visitor numbers tripling and sales doubling on Saturday.

Approximately 80-85 percent of products in the store are eligible for government subsidies, he said.

One satisfied customer, surnamed Zhang, purchased a computer for his university-bound daughter. “The computer is originally priced at 6,799 yuan. After the 20 percent government subsidy, it is 5,400 yuan,” he said, adding that he will also check out smartphones and television sets. “The store offers promotions on top of the government subsidies. The total discount could be really big. It’s a good time to buy.”

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Hu Wenming, deputy general manager of Jingdong Five Star Electric Appliance Group's Shenzhen branch, reported that their two directly-owned stores attracted 15,000 visitors and generated 25 million yuan in sales over the weekend. He noted a trend toward consumers opting for high-end, energy-efficient products to maximize their savings through the subsidies, significantly boosting overall sales revenue.

This article is translated by China Daily from the original report in Chinese as published on the official website of Shenzhen Special Zone Daily