The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce held a news conference on Oct 14 to discuss the distribution of Le Pin Shanghai dining coupons, which can be used in many restaurants across the city.

Aimed at enhancing local dining experiences, the initiative is in line with national and city government policies to stimulate spending on quality services.

Since the first round of coupons was released on Sept 28, interest among consumers and businesses has remained consistently high.

On its launch day, popular platforms such as Alipay and WeChat experienced overwhelming demand, with peak simultaneous users reaching 11.9 million and coupon requests hitting nearly 200,000 per second.

It's estimated that the first two rounds of coupon distributions resulted in a whopping 16.3 billion yuan ($2.3 billion) in on-site dining sales, marking a 37.8 percent year-on-year increase.

During the recent National Day holiday in particular, participating restaurants experienced a surge in reservations and walk-in traffic.

As of Oct 11, over 1.3 million coupons had been distributed, with varying values offering discounts based on spending thresholds.

The third round of coupons was released on Oct 12, bringing the total number of participating restaurants to 3,465.

Moving forwards, plans are for the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce to boost merchant participation, refine distribution strategies and promote joint initiatives across various sectors.

The aim is to maximize consumer engagement and boost the local dining culture in Shanghai.