The first Xiamen Social Commerce Festival recently kicked off in Xiamen, eastern Fujian province, according to the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce.

The festival brought together representatives from manufacturing companies, new media startups, e-commerce industries and investment institutions from around China to discuss the development of social commerce in the country.

Social commerce is a subset of electronic commerce that involves social media, online media that supports social interaction, and user contributions to assist online buying and selling of products and services.

Group booking with friends, selecting favored products while browsing Moments on WeChat, and shopping while watching live videos are the most common avenues for social commerce.

In recent years, boosted by the advent of live streaming, short videos and other new media, traditional e-commerce has gradually been giving way to social commerce.

The two-day festival aimed to help social commerce companies to grasp the essence of social commerce and master its core concepts.

In addition to various forums, the event also organized matchmaking activities for marketing channels for products, supply chain exhibitions and open fairs.

A supply chain alliance was also established at the festival, which will expand sources of goods for e-commerce platforms.

Hong Benzhu, deputy director of the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce, said that in order to aid emerging and modern service industries from both sides of the Taiwan Straits, Xiamen will offer considerate services for local social commerce companies.

Hong added that the companies will enjoy unlimited business opportunities in Xiamen, and they will also promote the development of agricultural, manufacturing and other traditional industries in the city.