On September 14, a coalition of eight government departments released the "Action Plan to Promote Smart Home Consumption," outlining a comprehensive strategy to fuel growth in the sector. A core component of the plan focuses on expanding the supply of high-quality smart home products, encouraging manufacturers to intensify research and development efforts for innovative smart home devices.
The plan advocates for the integration of digital home technology across the full industry chain. It supports the establishment of smart home experience centers, whole-home intelligence showcases, and digital home model rooms within furniture retail stores and shopping malls. Additionally, it aims to foster the growth of large-scale home improvement enterprises and platforms that prioritize integrity and standardized service, offering personalized and diverse renovation packages while promoting customizable, order-based, and appointment-based services. A key focus is also on accelerating the development of smart home hardware, software, and integrated solutions based on domestic open-source operating systems.
Regarding consumer support, the plan aligns with the 2026 policy framework for trade-in programs for consumer goods. Local governments will be empowered to independently determine the specific product categories and subsidy standards for smart home items, with coordinated support provided for the purchase of new whole-home smart systems. This approach is designed to stimulate demand and make smart home technology more accessible.
Financial and fiscal measures are also central to the initiative. The plan encourages financial institutions to create a diverse range of consumer finance products and services tailored to home furnishing and improvement needs. It calls for the utilization of fiscal interest subsidy policies on personal consumer loans to guide financial institutions toward increasing credit support for smart home consumption, actively facilitating consumer purchases of related products.
Beyond these immediate measures, the action plan details a multi-faceted approach to industry development. This includes perfecting the standards system for smart homes by improving grading evaluation criteria and accelerating the implementation of mandatory national standards for device interoperability to foster seamless whole-home integration. The initiative also addresses digital infrastructure, urging telecom operators to enable IPv6 by default on home broadband equipment to enhance network connectivity.
Specific provisions within the broader strategy cover the development of age-friendly smart home solutions, promoting products like home service robots, health monitoring devices, and intelligent care systems. Companies are encouraged to adopt design principles that consider product dimensions, ease of operation, dialect recognition, and safety performance to enrich offerings for the elderly. The plan also intends to establish a robust recycling chain by rationalizing the layout of used furniture collection points, incorporating them into planning frameworks with land and space support, and promoting services like "delivery of new, pickup of old" and "internet + recycling" models.
Community-level convenience is another focal point, with plans to utilize the "one-stop convenience life circle" initiative and leverage leading enterprises to set up comprehensive home renewal service stations in eligible neighborhoods. These stations would integrate maintenance, storage, and trade-in services while also serving as whole-home smart experience spaces. The plan, jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce and seven other departments, is dated September 2, 2026.