This year's Qixi Festival, a traditional Chinese romantic holiday, fell on a workday but despite this, e-commerce platforms – such as Pinduoduo, Meituan and Xiaohongshu – still reported an intense festive atmosphere and East China's Shanghai came out a winner.

According to Meituan, more and more people pre-booked their restaurant reservations to ensure a smooth Qixi-day celebration.

There was a 118 percent increase in Qixi-themed dining and a 110 percent rise in leisure and entertainment bookings compared with the previous week.

Notably, pre-bookings surged by 185 percent this year, with high-end restaurants in Shanghai being in the highest demand nationwide.

Xiaohongshu now allows couples to share posts related to the Qixi Festival. Of these, the most popular topics were the Yu Garden Qixi Lantern Festival, the Sweet Love Road City Walk and the Bund Finance Center (BFC) Heart-throbbing Terrace.

Gold consumption during the Qixi Festival peaked among young consumers. They preferred buying gold beans or bars and pure gold for both ceremonial value and cost-effectiveness, according to Pinduoduo.

What's more, the luxury goods market experienced a boost from the gifting trend. VIP.com, the largest global flash sales platform, reported a 23 percent increase in watch sales and a 48 percent increase in jewelry sales in the week leading up to the Qixi Festival.