BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- China's retail sales of consumer goods went up 2.8 percent year on year in the first two months of 2026, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Monday.

The pace was 1.9 percentage points faster than the growth recorded in December 2025.

The total retail sales of consumer goods reached 8.61 trillion yuan (about 1.25 trillion U.S. dollars) from January to February, according to the NBS.

Service retail sales grew by 5.6 percent year on year, accelerating by 0.1 percentage point from the full-year growth in 2025.

"Boosted by pro-consumption policies and an extended Spring Festival holiday, market sales have picked up notably since early this year, and the potential of service consumption was unlocked," said NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui.

In the first two months, retail sales of travel agencies and rental services, as well as cultural, recreational and sports-related services, maintained a rapid year-on-year growth of over 10 percent.

More gatherings during the Spring Festival holiday helped lift catering revenue by 4.8 percent in the first two months, up 2.6 percentage points from December.

Also, in the January-February period, residents' demand for green and healthy food was rising, while the consumer goods trade-in policy continued to take effect.

Online consumption remained a bright spot, with online retail sales rising 9.2 percent year on year to reach about 3.25 trillion yuan in the first two months.

Micro dramas have taken off this year, with platform monitoring showing transaction values surging over 30 percent in January and February.

Fu said that upgrading consumption patterns and the expansion of new growth drivers will continue to support steady consumption growth, backed by a range of pro-consumption policies.

Meanwhile, efforts will be made to leverage the strength of China's mega market by rolling out targeted measures to boost consumption, launching income growth programs for urban and rural residents, upgrading commodity and service consumption, and continuously improving the consumption environment to unlock potential in areas like culture, tourism, sports events and wellness, Fu said.