SHENZHEN consumers have been zestfully shopping online to gear up for the long-awaited eight-day public holiday, as the National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival fall on the same day, which is Oct. 1 this year, and the weeklong National Day holiday will extend to Oct. 8.

Various online e-commerce platforms have recorded increased sales of mooncakes, a traditional delicacy for the Mid-Autumn Festival, foods, and personal protective equipment such as masks and disinfecting wipes, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported Wednesday.

Many Shenzheners have opted for a trip during the holiday, as the search volume of National Day holiday travel topped all searches at one time as early as mid-August, said the Daily.

According to statistics released by Alibaba’s search app Quark, Guangdong people have shown the greatest enthusiasm for traveling with the largest number of tour searches.

Taking enough medicine and protective equipment has become a must-do for travelers. Statistics from Chinese online grocery and delivery platform JD Daojia showed that the sales of antiviral drugs increased by 330 percent over the same period last year. Anticold drugs, medical masks, adhesive bandages, antibiotics and digestive enzymes were ranked the top 5 in the drug purchase list.

Meanwhile, supermarkets such as Walmart and CR Vanguard have recorded significant year-on-year growth in online sales of foods such as yogurt, cooking oil, candy and chocolate in Shenzhen, data from JD Daojia showed.

It is reported that consumers’ fervor for mooncakes has been greater than expected this year. On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the sale of mooncakes on JD Daojia in Shenzhen surged by 180 percent compared with the same period last year.

In addition to traditional moonkcakes, low-sugar and low-calorie mooncakes are favored by many consumers.

However, nutritionists remind everyone that although some mooncakes are labeled as sugar-free, they are rich in starches, which can be hydrolyzed to form glucose in the human body and thus raise blood sugar levels.

It is suggested that citizens eat mooncakes in moderation and avoid eating them with soft drinks or juices that are high in sugar. Instead, it is better to enjoy mooncakes with hot tea. The intake of rice and oil should also be appropriately reduced after consuming mooncakes. (Zhang Yu)