Chinese importers are earmarking large sums to top up their shopping carts and make big-ticket purchases at the China International Import Expo.

Shop one-stop

For the country's importers, one of the great benefits from the CIIE is convenience. The expo lasts for six days, and it is able to save the importers a lot of time and cost searching for good products for the whole year.

According to Shen Weihua, deputy head of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, the number of buyers registered with the Shanghai trade delegation has topped 15,000.

Wang Qiang, president of Donghao Lansheng, an international service trade company, responsible for the imported goods exhibition center at the CIIE, said there was over 100 companies with more than 1,000 products to be shown in the exhibition center.

"We will provide a premium stage to showcase the high-quality imported goods and bridge the importers and sellers," said Wang.

Shop for the best value

According to the CIIE, there are 160,000 buyers from more than 80,000 companies from home and abroad registered for the Shanghai expo.

With a helping hand from the industrial alliance, the buyers are able to harvest the best deals during the expo.

"For a same product, purchasing during the CIIE on behalf of the alliance will give the buyers better deals than usual, and what the Shanghai trade delegations bought can be sold through channels of our alliance," said Pu Jingbo, vice-president of Bailian Group, a State-owned retail group in Shanghai, which initiated the retailer alliance as part of Shanghai trade delegations.

The government has also been helping to make cross-border trade more convenient, as the Shanghai customs have adopted paperless administration and automatic declarations and shortened the clearance process.

Shop for the latest trend

The CIIE provides importers to shop the latest technology and design from various industries spanning from high-end industrial equipment, pharmaceuticals to kitchen cookware.

For example, Razer, the world's leading computer game equipment maker, has been showcasing its latest gamer-focus technology including edgy laptops and virtual reality experience room.

DuPont, the conglomerate from the United States, also introduced its latest invention to Chinese buyers.

"A new smart wearable device, which can be applied for sports and auxiliary medical purposes, is introduced during the ongoing expo," said Marc Dolye, chief executive officer-elect at Dupont.

The exhibition also includes a super lightweight suitcase and sweeping robot.

Importers have also been gearing up to make purchase deals.

"During the expo, we expect to import at least 1,000 kinds of products and services that have not been sold in the domestic market," said Wang Zhe, Party secretary of China's commercial giant Suning Holdings Group.

"In the next three years, we plan to import goods worth 10 billion euros ($11.5 billion)," he added.

Shop for a better future

Jiangsu Sainty Corp, a machinery and fashion garments importer, has locked its sights on the high-end equipment and is eyeing for deals no less than 50 million yuan ($7.19 million).

"Our purchase focus is on the high-precision lathes, metal cutting machine tools, film production makers, and so on, which will push the sector to a higher level of industrial upgrading," said Gao Hong, deputy general manager of Sainty.