by LI Ye

For Dutch visitor Yara Elowen, it was not the Bund or Yuyuan Garden that turned her first trip to Shanghai into a full day of crisscrossing the city, but a single LABUBU figurine.

She visited three stores before finally finding the Pop Mart x Coca-Cola LABUBU collaboration at the newly opened Pop Mart global flagship on Nanjing Road East. Yara had seen the store repeatedly on social media before setting off, drawn by its full lineup of LABUBU products and other Pop Mart IPs. With only two Pop Mart stores in the Netherlands, she decided Shanghai was worth the gamble.

For many foreign visitors, shopping in Shanghai used to be about lower prices. Now, they say, the appeal is access: IP brands, lifestyle concepts and trend items that can only be experienced in this city, with many products exclusive to China.

That shift is not accidental. As China expands unilateral visa-free access to 48 countries and mutual visa waivers to 29, inbound tourism is entering a new growth window. Shanghai received 9.36 million inbound visitors in 2025, up 40% year on year, according to the city's latest government work report. During this year's "two sessions", delegates repeatedly called for improving the inbound visitor experience and unlocking services consumption.

Under Shanghai's "15th five-year plan" goals, building an international consumption hub is positioned as a key lever for boosting domestic demand and enhancing the city's global standing.

On social media at home and abroad, short clips of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer strolling through Shanghai and Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang visiting a local wet market have circulated widely, shaping overseas audiences' image of the city. Such place-specific, everyday scenes are increasingly part of what sets Shanghai apart from other global cities. Policies ranging from services consumption upgrades and the "debut economy" to easier inbound spending have elevated Shanghai’s role as a source of global consumption trends.

For Yara, that translated into a long shopping list, including a day spent searching for a China-exclusive Adidas jacket that blends sportswear with Chinese aesthetics through stand collars, traditional colors and knotted fastenings. She did not find the red version she wanted, but securing one at all was enough.

Other visitors are drawn for different reasons. Leo Brown, an American and self-described Louis Vuitton loyalist, made a beeline for the brand's "Louis" ship-shaped concept store on Nanjing Road West.

"This is only the third such concept store globally, after New York and Paris," he told Jiemian News, noting that it sits next to Starbucks' second global roastery after Chicago. Leo booked his visit in advance and left with a Rain Tea fragrance sold only in China.

Beyond products, convenience matters. Yara said she was initially anxious about using Shanghai's metro, until she learned she could simply tap her credit card at the gate. Compared with Paris or Tokyo, the ease stood out.

Visa China told Jiemian News that payment acceptance, security and convenience are the top concerns for international travelers. Its "tap-and-ride" service on the Shanghai metro, which allows overseas Visa cardholders to enter the system directly, has been used by visitors from 140 countries and regions as of November 2025.

Tax refunds are another draw. Shanghai added more than 1,000 departure tax refund stores in 2025, bringing the total to over 1,700. From January to November, the number of overseas travelers claiming refunds rose 156.3% year on year, while refund sales and amounts both increased by about 80%. By 2027, the city aims to have more than 3,000 refund stores, with over 80% offering instant refunds at the point of purchase.

Still, gaps remain. Yara said waiting to process a refund at the airport took her an hour. "I hope more stores can offer instant refunds," she said.

Fudan University professor Zhang Yina noted that services consumption accounts for over 60% of spending in most global cities, compared with about 45% in Shanghai. That leaves room to grow not only shopping and tourism, but also the financial and service systems that support them.

From riverside commercial districts to historic lanes like Zhangyuan, overseas visitors increasingly share shopping experiences that mix global brands with Chinese labels such as Songmont backpacks or fragrances by To Summer. These culturally distinct brands, planners say, are becoming part of what makes Shanghai memorable.

As Shanghai moves deeper into its next planning cycle, officials are betting that it is not just more goods, but distinctive, repeatable consumption experiences that will keep foreign visitors coming back — and give them new reasons to shop.