Starting August 29, Jiangsu Province has refined its consumer goods trade-in subsidy policy for locally designated categories, significantly broadening the scope to include ten major groups of smart home appliances, household items, and digital products. While retaining the original subsidy categories, the updated policy now covers dozens of specific sub-categories such as smart door locks, smart air purifiers, smart micro-steam ovens, smart dishwashers, smart vacuum cleaners, digital cameras, embodied intelligent robots, smart printers, smart massage chairs, and electric wheelchairs. Consumers purchasing eligible items can directly receive a government subsidy equivalent to 15% of the final retail price, with each individual entitled to one subsidized purchase per sub-category, capped at 1,500 yuan per item. Newly added products must carry a unified national 13-digit commodity code, and those with energy or water efficiency labels must meet the first-grade standard. The provincial development and reform commission, finance department, and commerce department issued a joint notice specifying that the policy will run from August 29 through December 31, 2026, with subsidy funds managed under a quota system and disbursed on a first-come, first-served basis until exhausted.

Smart consumer products take center stage compared with earlier policies, with the biggest highlight being the optimized adjustment of subsidy categories. In April, Jiangsu became the first province in the nation to launch a local trade-in subsidy policy for consumer goods, initially covering three areas: smart home products, age-friendly products, and consumer healthcare. After this adjustment, the subsidy categories have been upgraded from the original smart home lineup to ten major categories of smart products, with new additions including smart imaging and photography equipment, voice-controlled interactive devices, and smart learning and office tools.

Specifically, the ten major subsidized categories include: smart security products like smart door locks; smart environmental management products like air purifiers and smart lighting; smart cooking appliances like range hoods, gas stoves, micro-steam ovens, and food processors; smart kitchen cleaning and washing products like dishwashers and water purifiers; smart bathroom products like clothes dryers and smart toilets; smart cleaning products like robotic vacuums, floor washers, and window-cleaning robots; smart imaging and photography equipment like digital cameras, action cameras, and drones; voice-controlled interactive products like smart speakers, smart earphones, and embodied intelligent robots; smart learning and office equipment like smart printers and 3D printers; and smart health products like massage chairs, health monitors, and electric wheelchairs.

Notably, embodied intelligent robots, including humanoid robots, exoskeleton-assisted robots, and robot dogs, have been included in the subsidy scope for the first time. This category adjustment aligns with the national and provincial "artificial intelligence plus" initiatives focused on advancing next-generation intelligent terminals.

The subsidy standard remains unchanged in its directness and intensity, with a maximum of 1,500 yuan per item. For purchases across the ten categories, consumers first benefit from merchant discounts, after which the government provides an additional 15% subsidy based on the final transaction price. Each person can claim a subsidy for one item per sub-category, with a cap of 1,500 yuan per piece. On the first day of implementation on August 29, for instance, a Nanjing resident shopping at JD Mall saved 1,042 yuan on a smart micro-steam oven in a single transaction. Some consumers noted that smart vacuum cleaners and floor washers, previously awaited cautiously, can now be purchased with confidence given their inclusion in the subsidy program.

This policy optimization builds on the notable progress Jiangsu has already achieved with its trade-in initiatives. Data shows that in the first half of 2026, the province received 346,000 applications for automobile trade-ins, sold 11.393 million household appliances and 3C products, and utilized 9.43 billion yuan in subsidy funds, representing an 80.7% usage rate. These efforts benefited over 7.08 million consumers and drove sales exceeding 100.8 billion yuan. The trade-in policy achieved a leverage ratio of 1 to 10.7, meaning every 1 yuan of subsidy generated approximately 10.7 yuan in sales. In the first half of the year, Jiangsu recorded retail sales of consumer goods totaling 2.41632 trillion yuan, maintaining its leading position nationwide.

The provincial development and reform commission, finance department, and commerce department stated that all cities in Jiangsu will uniformly implement the optimized subsidy categories and standards, with specific participation methods to be determined by each city's implementation rules. Looking ahead, Jiangsu will continue to refine and extend its consumer goods trade-in policies, expand service consumption supply in elderly care, childcare, and housekeeping, and accelerate the cultivation of new business models such as first-store economies and live-streaming e-commerce.