Official statistics showed that Zhangjiagang citizens used coupons worth about 465,000 yuan ($66,030) in the first 24 hours after the first batch were issued by the local government at 3pm on April 9, spurring total consumer spending of 3.07 million yuan during the same period.

On April 9, the turnover on the Alipay account of Tiantianxian food market at the city’s Dacheng Square increased by about 50 percent compared to previous days, and the number of consumers rose by about 25 percent, according to Wang Chao, the operator of the market.

Many consumers were seen using coupons when paying bills. A citizen surnamed Huang said that she bought commodities valued at 56.6 yuan and only paid 46.6 yuan by using a “buy 30 yuan get 10 yuan reduction” coupon.

“The electronic coupon was saved in my Alipay card package,” Huang said. “I just needed to show the QR code to the cashier to pay the bill. It’s very convenient.”

The local government announced that it would issue 30 million yuan worth of coupons to stimulate consumption and mitigate downward pressures brought about by the novel coronavirus outbreak.

People can download and register on the latest version of the “今日張家港” (Zhangjiagang Today) app and apply for the coupons between April 7 and midday April 13.

The first two installments were issued through a coupon lottery system on April 8 and 10. The last one will be launched at 12 am on April 14.