China's 2026 Government Work Report has outlined plans to issue 250 billion yuan in ultra-long-term special treasury bonds to support consumer goods trade-ins and optimize policy implementation mechanisms, accelerating a nationwide consumption upgrade aimed at improving the quality of life for millions of households. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Commerce, trade-in programs for consumer goods have driven total sales of 323.26 billion yuan so far this year. Among these, appliance trade-ins accounted for 17.13 million units sold, contributing 69.44 billion yuan in sales revenue.
As the national initiative shifts from scale-driven effects to efficiency dividends, the home appliance service industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation in its role. On March 18, the China Household Electrical Appliances Service and Repair Association (CHEASRA) held the "2026 Home Appliance Service Industry Consumer Rights Innovation Conference" in Beijing, marking the launch of the largest-ever home appliance trade-in campaign spanning hundreds of cities and thousands of towns.
During the conference, Dr. Wang Qian, a researcher at CHEASRA, released the "2026 Home Appliance Service Industry Consumer Rights Innovation Report." She noted that since 2018, Liu Xiumin, senior president of CHEASRA, has advocated shifting from consumer rights protection to consumer rights innovation. In January 2022, the association initiated the trade-in campaign as a long-term strategy to promote appliance consumption upgrades and high-quality development, representing an innovation in moving from short-term sales promotions to a sustainable industrial ecosystem.
The campaign has evolved from "awakening new concepts, exchanging for new appliances, and refreshing lifestyles" to a user-centered approach of "understanding user desires, meeting user needs, and delighting user preferences." Key focuses include achieving a comprehensive upgrade from products to integrated product-scene services, addressing bottlenecks in the responsibilities of recycling companies for old appliances, strengthening government supervision and policy normalization, expanding subsidies to cover emerging smart appliances such as dishwashers, steam ovens,扫地机器人, and food waste disposers in line with consumption trends, establishing a closed-loop system to resolve tax compliance issues in the "collection-trade-in-recycling-reuse" chain, and implementing direct consumer subsidies to boost participation.
Aligning with the growth of the smart and emerging home appliance service sector, CHEASRA is driving the industry’s transition from traditional manufacturing to a modern service ecosystem through dual engines of "digital-intelligent leap" and "service quality transformation." The association plans to focus on three emerging markets in 2026: whole-house smart systems, AI displays, and service robots, encouraging companies to shift from selling products to offering smart lifestyle solutions.
The trade-in campaign will extend through 2035, going beyond simple replacements to promote the national standard for safe usage periods and recycling of household appliances. Mandatory labeling of safety lifespans will guide the phased retirement of outdated products, creating space for green and smart replacements. The conference coincides with a pivotal shift in national policy from broad-based stimulus to targeted incentives. As policy benefits and industrial innovation align, a profound transformation centered on "renewal" is reshaping the future landscape of China’s home appliance industry.