Seamless experience

Digital services and upgraded measures by local governments are also contributing to the "shopping in China" boom.

The Vietnamese couple who shopped at Harmay quickly got their tax refund at the store, and were soon searching for a phone app for a place to buy tea, snacks and local souvenirs. Despite their short stay in Shanghai, they became familiar with local mobile apps and online platforms such as Dianping and Meituan.

"We use them for food delivery services every day. They are really easy to use and we researched a lot on them," says Nhu Truong, an IT developer.

To help visiting foodies select delicacies in Shanghai, Dianping, a popular online review platform, provides a "must-eat" list in Chinese, English and Korean. It is one of the latest efforts to facilitate foreigners' travel experience and boost inbound consumption, under the recently launched 2025 Shanghai Summer International Consumption Season.

Under the promotion event, China Eastern Airlines is set to offer over 1 million discount flights, while ride-hailing platform Didi will distribute 1 million coupons.

Taxis will be equipped with point-of-sale machines to allow direct payment with foreign bank cards, and over 200 Jinjiang International Holdings hotels will offer discounts for international travelers.

Johannes, a 35-year-old science teacher from Germany, took advantage of the visa-free policy to make his first visit to China recently. He used Amap, a leading Chinese digital map provider, to navigate his way around Shanghai, and made purchases with Alipay.

A uniquely decorated glass store popular on Instagram as well as travel experiences shared by his friends, enticed Johannes to visit Shanghai Xintiandi.

"It is a very enjoyable experience here as everything is seamless. People are very nice and the city is modern, very beautiful and convenient. It is a mega city, but it is actually quieter than I thought," he said, noting that he planned to see the historic French buildings and try some tasty xiaolongbao steamed buns at Yuyuan Garden.

To add to the "seamless experience", foreign visitors can buy a Shanghai Pass, which offers a range of discounts for public transport, sightseeing, dining and shopping.

Tax refund counters with multi-language services are also spreading in the city's major shopping areas. International visitors can get their refunds instantly on site in cash, or with Alipay.

The city's first collective departure tax refund counter opened on the Bund last month, enabling visitors to get refunds for all their purchases made at any eligible store in the city. So far, 17 such counters have been set up across Shanghai.

On Alipay, global visitors can use the Easy Go platform for services including food delivery, public transport and ride hailing, information on city attractions, booking tickets, and shopping. The English-language version of the platform supports real-time translations in 14 languages to serve visitors from across the globe.