A duty-free market selling commodities imported from Taiwan has seen significant growth in customer flow and business income during the Spring Festival holiday, Pingtan Times reported on Feb 22.

A packed house at the Taiwan Commodity Market on the first day of the lunar Chinese New Year on Feb 20 [Photo/ptnet.cn]

Guo Fuzhou, a business-savvy Taiwan merchant, cashed in on the opportunity to drop prices 20 percent on all products, a brilliant marketing plan that helped drive sales over 50,000 yuan ($7,977) on the morning of Feb 20, the first day of the lunar Chinese New Year.

“Everything sells faster than expected around Spring Festival. I think this market will become more popular in the future,” he said.

Zhongtan International Trading Co at the market also reported strong profits, taking in more than 60,000 yuan from sales of tea sets on Feb 21, according to its manager Li Zidian.

A similar consumer rush occurred at Zhou Sunhua’s Xinding Trading Co. Zhou said, “People have crowded every inch of my store, and many of them even came from outside Pingtan, which I haven’t seen before.”

People flock into the Taiwan Commodity Market in Pingtan, Fujian province, on Feb 20. [Photo/ptnet.cn]

Touring with family members at the market has become a new way for lots of Pingtan residents to spend the Spring Festival holiday.

Lin Huan said she came to the market to purchase some high-quality monosodium glutamate produced in Taiwan, and plans to share the information with her friends on social media. “It is nice to spend some time here to feel the pleasant atmosphere,” she said.

Another customer Dai Wenshan compared the market to a temple fair in terms of popularity, saying it has become one of the few large shopping malls in Pingtan.

Mr. Huang drove from neighboring Putian city to the market to pick up some home supplies after learning that Taiwan brands were available.

Mr. Guo revealed that he was shooting for those Taiwan-made auspicious sachets after seeing advertisements on the WeChat page of the Pingtan Times. He planned to buy a dozen of them for his family members.

To attract more customers and stimulate their consumption, the Dongbo Trading Co promoted a special Taiwan raffle for anyone who spent more than 100 yuan at its store. People can untie red envelope from a board containing bonuses ranging from 5 to 100 yuan.

“We introduced the Taiwan raffle to Pingtan because it is the best memory for many Taiwan people and part of the Spring Festival celebration activities,” said Pan Lianqin, a business supervisor.

A customer unties red envelopes containing bonuses at a store in the Taiwan Commodity Market in Pingtan, Fujian province, Feb 20. [Photo/ptnet.cn]