People enjoy leisure time at a business center in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 24, 2022. In recent days, business areas in Beijing have bustled again as the epidemic prevention and control measures have been optimized in line with the evolving epidemic situation.(Photo: Xinhua)

Beijing launched regulations on outdoor business of qualified brand in business areas and kicked off trials to recover and expand consumption with experts saying that it is the business model that is the most accessible to consumers and the best choice to regain yan huo qi in the post-epidemic period.

According to the latest regulations, trials had been kicked off in some major business areas like the Wangjing Walk and the SOLANA shopping mall in Chaoyang district.  The businesses would be organized by regional authorities. Merchants that want to conduct outdoor business in these areas have to register online. Regional authorities are responsible for arranging where and when the business can be operated and what kind of products they can sell.

Beijing authorities would also complete management mechanism for outdoor business in order to coordinate related issues such as the utilization of public space and supporting transportation facilities.

In response to doubts on whether outdoor business would lead to chaos in business areas and affect the cityspace, Beijing authorities told media that outdoor business is different from stalls straggling in the streets and alleyways that Chinese people are used to. They would not affect the cityspace; would not be allowed to conduct open-air barbecue; would not occupy green space, sidewalks for the blind or parking lots; and would not affect people's daily life. Regional authorities would be required to arrange, manage and supervise operation of these booths, the Beijing authorities noted.

Outdoor businesses can display physical goods, service goods and experience goods, thus playing an important role in promoting sales. "Beijing's core business district should enrich the commercial format through the form of outdoor business. At the same time, the operating space of the business areas could also be expanded through outdoor business, thereby improving the economic efficiency of business," Hong Tao, the director of Beijing Technology and Business University, told media.

But outdoor business does not mean simply displaying products on the streets, but returning back the market domination right to the main market players considering the development laws and scientific nature of modern commerce, according to Hong.

Before the Beijing government's decision, some merchants in the capital, mostly restaurants, had already set up outdoor booths during the epidemic when dine-in was restricted or banned. Unlike straggling stalls, experts said that outdoor business run by qualified merchants is aimed to meet the demand of people in leisure and high-quality consumption. 

Industry observers said that booths are the best method for business areas to regain yan huo qi, a phrase that means the smoke and fire produced from cooking food in Chinese and captures the vitality of the hospitality sector, as consumption expectation had shrank and business pressure has intensified after three years' epidemic.

The prosperity and vitality of a city are closely related to whether the city has a strong commercial atmosphere. It can even be said that the commercial atmosphere is an integral part of the city. As the simplest and most distinctive commercial label in the city, the outdoor business truly and intuitively reflects the atmosphere of life in the city, Lai Yang, head of the Beijing Research Institute of Commerce Strategy, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Outdoor business would help consumers to cultivate a new consumption culture, and it also plays a certain role in improving the brand image. In the context of the era of "cloud consumption," the pursuit of consumer experience has become the focus of development, he noted.