China's online sales surge in Q3

China's online retail sales boomed in the third quarter of this year, as more consumers have gravitated toward online shopping for its convenience and personalized services.

China's Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday that online retail sales reached over 454 billion yuan in the third quarter, up 42.4 percent from the same period last year.

But growth of trade volume in physical stores slowed down.

The ministry also said the prices of commodities remained stable over all in October.

Prices of edible agricultural products increased by 6.8 percent year on year in 36 large and medium-sized cities. And vegetables prices surged by 40.7 percent year on year.