The sanitary crisis of Covid-19 has harshly impacted the worldwide economy, this is why to start recover, the Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang has announced the comeback of roadside vendors, on 1st June “to promote the economic recovery and remedy the unemployment”.
These vendors used to be unlicensed since 2017, to make street and cities cleaner and develop the licensed settled store, but in a post-coronavirus context, they are considered as one of the keys to restarting the economy.
Indeed, even though street vendors are not official worker, they can still make some sales and they are an important source of employment.
Since the announcement, we can clearly see some results, when 36,000 mobile stalls have been set-up in a city, 100,000 jobs have been created, which is a great news for the economy.
Why Street Vendors are so popular in China?
Street vendors are part of the Chinese culture and even if since 2017 there are less due to the regulations, it is still quite popular, in both big and small cities of China.
They are very popular because they often open until late and they are cheaper than the settled store. Also, street food is very appreciated by Chinese customers:
- Jianbing (Chinese crepes)
- Jiaozi (Chinese dumplings)
- Baozi (Chinese Bread Buns)
- Huoguo (Hotpot)
- Paigu niangao (Pork Chop with Rice Cakes)
- etc
Chinese customer especially appreciate street food because it is cheap, easily accessible, tasty and very convenient: they eat it when they go out of the office, as a snack,…
The roadside vendors can sell food, but also clothes and services
- Shoeshine boy
- Hairdresser
- Massage
- Manucure
- Coffee
- Etc
And all these services can be done on the street or trucks have been arranged to become a hairdresser’s salon, a barber shop, or even a massage and manicure place, everything is possible and Chinese people keeps being more and more creative to set up their new business.
What is the economic impact of street vendors in China?
Instant success: trucks are sold out on Chinese eCommerce Platforms
As mentioned before, on the scale of one city (middle size), 100,00 jobs have been created, with 36,000 stalls set up, which sounds unreal after a crisis like Covid-19.
We could also notice that only a few days after the announcement, the trucks which could be used for street vendors (costing around 50,000RMB) have been trending or even sold out. It shows that the Chinese are happy to see it back, and have easily understood the potential business to do.
Actually, China has always been a street vendors country, so both clients and sellers are familiar and appreciate this way of selling and buying.
Therefore, it is a very good solution to overcome the issue of unemployment due to the crisis, especially since the unemployment rate in China has beat a record in February. And it is also a very good way to restart the economy, with small businesses, more independent businesses in a very solidary spirit.
Wet markets VS Street vendors
After the Covid-19 crisis, the Wet markets which used to be very popular in China are getting empty. It used to be very common to have wet markets in China since the street vendors have been limited, but since the announcement, they prefer street vendors.
Indeed, the Covid-19 might have started in a wet market so it obviously impacts their popularity, but also because selling in these places costs around 2500RMB per month.
It used to be interesting but now that the street vendors are encouraged, it is not that profitable to sell in the wet markets.
This is why many stalls on the wet markets have moved to the street, where it costs less and where you can make more money.
Even the Giants follow the move
Added to that, the giant Alibaba has been quite supportive of this announcement, wanting to help the small business to grow. Indeed, they have launched their “street vendor economy assistance plan” to help in the growth of millions of new small businesses, as much as Wechat with its “national small shop plan”.
These plans seem to work well because Alipay has recorded over 100,000 registrations per day since the announcement of the Prime Minister.
New opportunities for Chinese citizens
Now that street vendors are encouraged, everyone can start their own business, without worrying about legislation, rent, or any administrative constraint: the economy needs to recover no matter what.
There are big opportunities because for vendors, the costs are mainly the truck and the raw ingredients/materials. Whereas for the buyers, it is very interesting because prices are cuts, and they like to buy in small stores. So from selling hand-made items to street food and on-the-go beverages (coffee, tea, bubble tea, juices, beer,…), there are no more limits!
It may also be interesting for foreign sellers in the:
- F&B Industry
- Food and Drink Machinery Industry
- AI industry
Street Vendors and Technology to Join Forces?
A question that we could be asking ourselves is will technology and AI influence this new era of Street vendors?
With support from group such as alibaba and the strong axes on AI in China, we are in right to believe that it will have a strong impact on this style of selling:
- More efficiency
- More convenience
- Better tracking and higher Food Safety Standards
Read also:
Expansion of the Coffee Market in China
Develop an ECommerce crossborder in China
Street Vendors and Social Commerce in China 2027: The Offline-Online Connection
China’s street vendor economy never disappeared — it evolved. After the 2020 government initiative to loosen restrictions on street vending (地摊经济), outdoor markets and informal retail expanded in tier-2 to tier-4 cities. By 2027, street vendors are a recognized part of China’s consumption infrastructure, particularly for fresh food, local snacks, clothing, and small accessories. For brands, the story is not about selling through vendors — it’s about understanding how offline informal retail feeds into digital discovery.
Douyin and Xiaohongshu amplified street vendor culture into a content category. Videos of market stalls, night market food, and vendor haggling scenes generate millions of views. “地摊探店” (market stall food exploration) is a documented content genre with dedicated creator audiences. International food brands that appear in night market setups and get filmed by local influencers gain authentic, low-cost exposure that paid advertising cannot replicate.
Night markets are a serious brand activation channel. Major cities run organized night market events (夜市) that draw 10,000-50,000 visitors per evening. Brands pay for stall space at these events to sample products, build WeChat follower bases, and generate content. Imported food brands, beverage companies, and beauty brands use night market activations to build awareness outside of platform advertising, reaching consumers who are in a discovery mindset.
The line between online and offline commerce is thinner than ever. Street vendors now accept WeChat Pay and Alipay as their primary payment methods. Many list their stall’s best-selling items on Pinduoduo or Douyin Shop for online reorder. Consumers who discover a product at a market stall search for it on Taobao the same evening. For brands, this means a market activation directly feeds platform search volume and conversion — one event can drive measurable online sales spikes.
Pop-up retail and brand experience spaces are the premium version of this trend. High-end brands use temporary pop-up stores in high-foot-traffic areas (shopping mall atriums, tourist districts, event venues) to create content moments. NIO did this with its NIO House concept. Beauty brands like Florasis and Perfect Diary run pop-ups that generate thousands of Xiaohongshu posts from visitors. The physical experience becomes a content production engine, and that content drives online sales.
Technical Tips for Offline Activation in China
- Design your offline activation for content creation, not just foot traffic. Install a visually distinct backdrop, branded photo zone, or interactive element that visitors want to photograph. If the setup is not Instagrammable (or Xiaohongshu-worthy), you are leaving most of the value on the table. Every visitor is a potential content creator.
- Use QR codes at every touchpoint to convert foot traffic to WeChat followers. Offer a small incentive (free sample, discount code, lucky draw entry) for scanning a QR code and following your WeChat official account. A 1,000-person night market visit can generate 200-300 WeChat followers who become a retargetable private traffic asset.
- Coordinate platform advertising with offline activation dates. Run Douyin or Xiaohongshu search ads for your brand name during and immediately after offline events. Consumers who met your brand offline will search for it online within 24-48 hours. Capturing that search intent converts awareness into purchase.
- Seed the event with local micro-KOLs before it happens. Invite 5-10 local content creators (10k-100k followers) to attend your night market stall or pop-up as guests. Their content primes their audience before the event and creates a content backlog that continues generating views for weeks after.
What Brands Say About Offline Activation in China
“We ran a pop-up at a Shanghai night market for 3 weekends. The foot traffic was good, but the real value was the Xiaohongshu content it generated. 47 posts from visitors, 2 of which went viral and drove our Tmall store to its best sales week of the year.”
Marketing manager, imported beverage brand
“We used night market activations to build our WeChat private traffic group from zero to 3,000 members in 4 months. That group now converts at 8% on promotional messages. It’s our highest-ROI marketing channel in China and it started with a stall at a local market.”
China brand director, European snack company
FAQ: Real Questions Chinese Consumers Ask About Street Markets and Pop-ups
地摊上买到的进口食品是正品吗？(Are imported foods bought at market stalls authentic?) It depends on the vendor. Established night market vendors in organized events (正规夜市) often sell genuine imported products purchased through licensed distributors. However, unregulated vendors at informal markets may sell counterfeit, expired, or mislabeled imported goods, especially for premium brands like imported chocolate, spirits, or supplements. Consumers can check for GACC import registration numbers on packaging and look for Chinese-language labels with importer information, which is required for all legally imported food products sold in China.
品牌快闪店活动怎么找？(How do I find brand pop-up store events?) The best sources are Xiaohongshu (search the brand name or “快闪店 + city name”), the brand’s official WeChat account, and local lifestyle accounts on Douyin and Xiaohongshu that cover city events. Major shopping malls like SKP, K11, and Taikoo Li also post upcoming pop-up schedules on their WeChat accounts and mini-programs. For organized night market events, local government tourism boards and city lifestyle apps like Dianping publish event calendars. Most pop-up events are announced 1-2 weeks in advance.
EAC designs offline-to-online activation strategies for international brands in China, connecting night market events, pop-up retail, and WeChat private traffic to drive measurable e-commerce results.
Get a free brand audit from our team. We map your offline activation options and show how they connect to your platform sales strategy.
Follow Philip Chen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/philip-chen
