(Yicai) June 19 -- Chinese e-commerce companies JD.com and Xiaomi posted record sales during the 618 online shopping bonanza, which is held each summer on the anniversary of the establishment of JD.com on June 18, as Chinese consumers splash the cash.

JD.com’s gross merchandise volume and the number of orders both hit all-time highs during the festival, which ran from May 20 to midnight yesterday, the Beijing-based firm said on micro-blogging site Weibo. The number of orders on its livestreaming channel tripled from a year earlier and more than 500 million customers bought goods.

Eighty-three brands on JD.com turned over more than CNY1 billion (USD137.8 million), and the sales of over 150,000 small and medium-sized merchants jumped more than 50 percent, it said

The number of commodities sold on JD.com’s subsidized “CNY10 billion (USD1.3 billion)” shopping channel, which offers top quality products at a discounted price, more than doubled from a year earlier, and the number of customers and number of orders both surged two-and-a-half times.

Xiaomi’s sales hit a new high during the 618 shopping festival, shifting more than CNY26.3 billion (USD3.6 million) worth of commodities on its online sales channels, the Beijing-based firm said on Weibo.

On Taobao, Alibaba Group Holding's e-marketplace, 36,000 brands doubled their gross merchandise volume during the 618 shopping bonanza as of 12 noon on June 19 compared to normal sales volume, it said. Some 365 brands logged sales of over CNY100 million (USD13.8 million).

And on sister company Taobao’s live streaming channel the number of studios generating more than CNY100 million (USD13.7 million) in gross merchandise volume increased by 53 percent year-over-year. Taobao’s subsidized “CNY10 billion shopping channel” recorded explosive growth. Sales soared six-and-a-half times as of 12 noon on June 18 from the year before.

Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Guangzhou were the top five cities in terms of spending power during the 618 shopping festival, according to data from Vipshop Holdings.

Environmentally friendly products are becoming more popular amongst the young. Over 70 percent of shoppers preferred green products during the 618 shopping gala, and those born after 1990 are prepared to pay more for this, Intime Department Store told Yicai.

Editor: Kim Taylor