BEIJING - China's online retail sales of physical goods exceeded the 10-trillion-yuan ($1.58 trillion) threshold to hit 10.8 trillion yuan in 2021, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Thursday.

In 2021, China's online retail sales reached 13.1 trillion yuan, MOC spokesperson Gao Feng told a press briefing.

Online retail sales of physical goods accounted for 24.5 percent of total retail sales of consumer goods and contributed 23.6 percent of the growth of retail sales of consumer goods in 2021, Gao said.

He added that the steadily growing online retail market has become an important force keeping growth, employment and consumption stable.

China's consumption market saw an upgrading trend last year, with healthy, green and high-quality goods increasingly favored by consumers, Gao said. Data shows that sales of smart home devices surged 90.5 percent year-on-year in 2021, and sales of organic vegetables skyrocketed 127.6 percent year-on-year.

E-commerce in the services sector posted robust growth. Online catering sales rose 30.1 percent year-on-year, an increase of 27.9 percentage points from the previous year, according to Gao.