Say it with snow: big chill in northern China sparks red-hot business
- Owners of e-shops find moneymaking opportunity in creating frozen personalised messages
Nothing says I love you like a snowman – or at least that is what some enterprising people in northern China are suggesting with their services on e-commerce platforms.
The owners of e-shops springing up on e-commerce platforms and social media sites are offering personalised messages and declarations of love in the blankets of snow that have covered the country’s north this week.
On Taobao – owned by Alibaba, which also owns the South China Morning Post – customers can order messages for about 5 yuan (71 US cents) for six words. A heart or an image costs extra.
After receiving an order, the shop owners head out and write the message in the snow, sending back pictures and videos within the hour.
Some shops are more creative, adding snowmen or going the extra mile to find fresh supplies.
“We will take a taxi to a park or find clean snow to write for you. We don’t just randomly write in snow in our residential compounds or on the side of the road because it’s usually dusty or has been discoloured,” one shop said.
