China's consumer goods trade-in program has significantly boosted consumption, with around 1.3 million applications for automobile trade-in subsidies submitted between Jan 1 and March 14, according to the China Consumers Association on Saturday.

During the period, more than 19 million consumers took advantage of the program to purchase over 25 million home appliances across 12 categories, while over 39 million consumers applied for subsides to buy some 49 million new digital products, including smart phones.

Last year, the scheme contributed to the sales of related products exceeding 1.3 trillion yuan (about 179.53 billion U.S. dollars), driving the total retail sales of consumer goods for the whole year by more than one percentage point.

Launched in March 2024, the trade-in scheme was designed to stimulate consumer spending by offering government subsidies for exchanging old products for new ones.

China has expanded the scope of the program this year, including mobile phones for the first time, along with a broader selection of automobiles and home appliances.