Exclusive e-shopping steers car owner carts

"One reason is that some items are available only here, which gives you a sense of rarity. For other items, you just need them anyway. If you can place an order on Nio Life or some other certain platforms, why bother buying elsewhere?"

One example of a product with a rare or distinct touch is the backpack, a collaborative effort between Nio and Chalayan, an alternative fashion brand established in 1994.

The fact that Nio's founder William Li owns the same backpack holds a special significance for Guo. He views wearing the same backpack as Li as a profound endorsement of the brand as a car owner, expressing his strong connection to Nio.

"You don't have the same bags as the ones used by Mercedes or BMW bosses even if you drive those cars, do you?"

Guo said Nio Life's strengths lie in its diverse categories and high-quality products. Now he is interested in buying a camping tent in the store.

"From time to time, I browse through Nio's e-shop, particularly enjoying products with creative designs," he said.

Guo's experience mirrors that of a rising number of Chinese car owners, mostly male consumers of domestic EVs.

For them, buying a car has also proved to be a gateway to a new community that offers consumer products and other online interactive features.

Zhang Chutian, who is in charge of Nio Life, said consumer feedback plays a pivotal role in influencing the design and development of products sold on the online platform.

He said the online platform has distinguished producers of new energy vehicles from traditional automobile enterprises.