China Duty-free Shopping Market Report 2025
Chinese consumers' demand for duty-free shopping is evolving towards a mix of value and experience.
Chinese consumers' demand for duty-free shopping is evolving towards a mix of value and experience.
Chinese consumers' demand for duty-free shopping is evolving towards a mix of value and experience. Beyond ensuring product quality and value for money, brands and retailers can meet rising expectations by creating culturally distinctive, emotionally engaging environments supported by high-quality, professional service.
Laura Liu, Senior Research Analyst – Retail & Home Appliances, China
This Report examines the duty-free industry, as well as consumer behaviour and attitudes toward purchasing duty-free goods.
The duty-free industry is a core segment of travel retail, comprising businesses authorised by specific countries and regions to operate stores on transport vehicles, at ports or in city centres, allowing inbound and outbound travellers to purchase duty-free goods.
Duty-free goods are items exempt from customs duties, consumption taxes and value-added taxes, typically imported products. The range of duty-free goods varies by country or region (for instance, duty-free shopping is not available between EU member states). Duty-free policies also define the maximum quantity of items travellers can bring into their destination country, known as the ‘Duty-Free Allowance’. Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自贸港) offers the world’s highest duty-free shopping quota for offshore travellers at RMB100,000 (approximately $14,000) per person annually.
The main categories of duty-free goods include cosmetics, fragrances, electronics, bags, jewellery, watches, clothing and accessories, food, toys, tobacco and alcohol.