Six major tasks of expanding domestic demand, promoting service consumption as the top priority
2026-07-15
Recently, the "15th Five Year Plan for Expanding Consumption" was officially issued, which deploys 28 key task measures for expanding consumption during the "15th Five Year Plan" period, focusing on six aspects: promoting the improvement of service consumption quality and benefiting the people, promoting the expansion and upgrading of commodity consumption, and cultivating and creating new forms, models, and scenarios of consumption. It sets a clear roadmap for the expansion and quality improvement of China's consumer market in the next five years. Upon careful reading of the entire text, a significant change is noteworthy: among the six key tasks of promoting consumption, "promoting service consumption to improve quality and benefit the people" ranks first, and service consumption has surpassed commodity consumption for the first time to take the top spot. This change in ranking sends a strong signal of a profound transformation in China's consumption structure - we are entering a new stage from "buying things" to "buying services".
Consumption is the stabilizer and ballast of economic growth. During the 14th Five Year Plan period, the total retail sales of consumer goods in China exceeded 50 trillion yuan, and the average contribution rate of consumption to economic growth was nearly 60%. The results are impressive, but there is still room for optimization in the structure. For a long time, the promotion of household appliances, automobiles and other products has been the protagonist in promoting consumption, and policies such as "trade in" and "household appliances going to rural areas" are well-known in the toolbox. This' Plan 'prioritizes service consumption, which is not a simple order adjustment, but a profound grasp of consumption laws and a precise response to people's livelihood needs.
What is service consumption? From quality dining with three meals a day, to elderly care and childcare with one elderly and one young; From the cultural and tourism experience of leaving at will, to the sports consumption of strengthening the body; From healthcare services that protect health to lifelong education and training, these intangible "soft consumption" are becoming a new direction for people to spend money and a new necessity for their lives. They are concrete expressions of people's pursuit of a better life. The "Plan" has set up 9 columns, including "Developing the Silver Hair Economy", "Expanding the Supply of Parenting Products and Services", and "Enhancing Cultural and Tourism Consumption", all of which point to services and are closely related to people's livelihoods, reflecting the clear direction of "closely combining benefiting people's livelihoods with promoting consumption".
This transformation has a solid foundation in reality. In 2024 and 2025, the proportion of per capita service consumption expenditure to per capita consumption expenditure of residents has remained stable at 46.1% for two consecutive years. More importantly, the growth rate of service consumption continues to lead commodity consumption. Behind this trend is a profound transformation in the consumption structure: residents' consumption is upgrading from survival oriented to development oriented and enjoyment oriented, and people's demand for personalized and diversified services is exploding. The elderly require professional care, young parents call for inclusive childcare, urban white-collar workers pursue health management, sports enthusiasts are enthusiastic about sports experiences, and the rise of service consumption is an inevitable upgrade in consumption and a vivid footnote to people's aspirations for a better life. At the same time, the added value of China's service industry has exceeded 50% of GDP, and the employment absorption capacity of the service industry continues to increase. The conditions for the "dual wheel drive" of service consumption and commodity consumption are becoming increasingly mature.
Being in the 'C' position on the service consumption platform signifies a leap in development philosophy. Commodity consumption emphasizes "ownership", while service consumption emphasizes "experience"; Commodity consumption values "cost-effectiveness", while service consumption pursues "sense of gain". When the policy focus shifts from "promotion volume" to "quality improvement", and from "subsidies" to "optimal supply", the connotation of consumption is enriching and the quality of development is improving. This is not only a strategic pivot to expand domestic demand, but also a pragmatic measure to meet people's expectations.
Of course, there are still many shortcomings that need to be addressed in order to make service consumption truly hot and popular. There are still problems such as insufficient supply of high-quality services, need to improve industry standards, and relative shortage of professional talents. The "Plan" proposes targeted and precise measures such as implementing actions to improve the quality and benefit the people of service consumption, establishing a professional qualification system for elderly care service providers, and improving the standard system for household services. The potential of service consumption can be fully released only when the policy is awesome, the market is effective and the people benefit.
The shift from "buying things" to "buying services" is driven by changes in consumption structure, development mode, and people's well-being. During the "15th Five Year Plan" period, the total retail sales of consumer goods are expected to reach about 60 trillion yuan. It can be expected that service consumption will become the most dynamic growth pole in the consumption market, injecting warm and strong consumption momentum into Chinese path to modernization. (Outlook New Era)
Edit：Luoyu Responsible editor：Jiajia
Source：People's Daily
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