AI-Powered Consumption Accelerates as Shanghai Opens App Store; Smart Exoskeleton, Glasses Sales Surge
China's push to integrate artificial intelligence with consumer spending is gaining momentum. A nearly 2,000-square-metre AI application store in Shanghai now offers more than 500 products across education, entertainment, leisure and health, with 80% priced between RMB 1,000 and RMB 1,500. Online retail data for the first half of 2026 show smart exoskeleton sales up 458.4% and smart glasses up 151.7% year on year. Shanghai targets a smart terminal industry exceeding RMB 300 billion by 2027 as AI permeates daily life.
Consumption is a fundamental force driving economic growth and development. The Plan for Expanding Consumption under the 15th Five-Year Plan identifies "cultivating and creating new consumer formats, models and scenarios" as a thread running through all areas, and explicitly calls for advancing "AI plus consumption" initiatives. AI technologies that previously remained at the conceptual stage are now accelerating into actual consumer markets.
At an AI application store in Shanghai spanning nearly 2,000 square metres, more than 500 products are on display covering education, entertainment, leisure, health and other scenarios, with 80% of the products priced between RMB 1,000 and RMB 1,500. The store has transformed technological innovations from exhibits into merchandise that consumers can purchase and experience directly. Under the city's planning targets, Shanghai's smart terminal industry is expected to exceed RMB 300 billion in overall scale by 2027.
Online retail data show that in the first half of 2026, online retail sales of smart exoskeletons and smart glasses in China grew 458.4% and 151.7% respectively. As artificial intelligence continues to permeate daily life scenarios such as food, clothing, housing, transport, elderly care, leisure, culture, tourism and outdoor activities, related consumer segments are showing notable growth momentum.