China's online bargain hunters spend generously on kids

A kid plays at a amusement park in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, May 31, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

Chinese online shoppers are bargain hunters. But when it comes to the well-being of their children, they can be pretty generous.

A report released by the internet finance arm of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd showed that on average Chinese parents spent more than 80 yuan ($12.15) in 2015 on each online order made for their children.

The report, published on Tuesday by Ant Financial Services Group, showed parents in Shanghai are the top spenders for their children.

Statistics showed that Shanghai parents spent 136 yuan on average each time they shopped online for their children. They are followed in order by parents in Beijing, Zhejiang province, Tibet autonomous region and Jiangsu province.

About 41 percent of their online spending for children involved clothes, followed by 23 percent for toys, 22 percent in diapers and baby strollers and then 14 percent in baby food.

Wang Fang, a mother in Beijing, said she has no idea how much money she had spent on her two-year-old son in the past year.

"I shop online quite often. For my husband and myself, I mostly go for products sold on local websites and for those with a good cost performance. But for my son, I shop via overseas websites for him. I want him to have the best we can afford," said the 33-year-old.

Smart internet firms are tapping into business opportunities created by loving Chinese parents, especially on children's day on Wednesday.

Didi Chuxing, China's largest car-on-demand service provider, said it will launch a service on Wednesday to help parents book rides for their school-going children via its mobile application.

The service, which will first test the water in Beijing, targets children between the age of four and 16. The service is dedicated to helping busy working parents carry their kids from home to school.

All the third-party cars chosen for the project are medium-end cars worth 200,000 yuan and each car is equipped with a car safety seat. To ensure the safety and the heath of children, Didi Chuxing has set a high bar for drivers who want to shoulder the special task, including minimum five-year experience in driving and a track record in providing high quality service.

"The drivers will receive training organized by Didi Chuxing, including first aid and child psychology, so that they are prepared for all kinds of emergencies during the ride," said the company.