The Hong Kong Shopping Festival, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), concluded its third mainland China edition with remarkable success, generating over 115 million total views across all online platforms, a 15% increase compared to last year. The event, held from August 1 to 20, featured more than 280 brands and 600 products, offering exclusive discounts and live-stream sales on Douyin, JD.com, and Taobao. Following this triumph, the festival will expand for the first time to ASEAN markets, specifically Malaysia and Singapore, from September 21 to 27.
This expansion is a key part of the HKTDC's E-commerce Express initiative, aimed at helping Hong Kong enterprises seize opportunities in the rapidly growing cross-border e-commerce sector. Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the HKSAR, highlighted the positive sales performance reported by participating brands and reaffirmed the government's commitment to supporting Hong Kong enterprises through funding, training, and promotion. He noted that the expansion into ASEAN will enable Hong Kong businesses to tap into another enormous e-commerce market, enhancing their brand awareness and showcasing the advantages of Hong Kong products in the region.
Jacky Chung, Associate Executive Director of HKTDC, emphasized that the festival's success in mainland China demonstrates the trust and quality associated with Hong Kong brands. He stated that HKTDC is dedicated to creating diverse business platforms and, building on its experience in the mainland, is expanding to new markets. The ASEAN edition will lay a solid foundation for Hong Kong businesses seeking to enter and develop in the region.
The mainland festival employed a multi-pronged approach, including live-streaming sessions with renowned KOLs such as Li Jiaqi and Lin Yilin, attracting over 10 million views. A new “Behind-the-Brand” origin-tracing live-stream series brought mainland streaming teams to Hong Kong, offering immersive tours of factories and retail stores, enhancing brand transparency and consumer confidence. Wai Yuen Tong, a health supplement brand, reported a fivefold increase in sales on its Tmall flagship store during the event, attributing this success to the interactive and authentic format of these live-streams. Vivian Tang, Executive Director of Wai Yuen Tong, stressed that the live-streams allowed consumers to understand their brand story, production processes, and ingredient standards, building trust and generating traffic for subsequent broadcasts.
Social enterprise Hello Cocoa, which employs staff with special educational needs, made its mainland debut through the festival. By leveraging live-streaming and WeChat communities, the brand achieved over 200,000 impressions, surpassing expectations. Louie Lu, Founder and CEO, noted that the experience provided valuable insights into live-stream e-commerce and cross-border sales, and the company plans to participate in the ASEAN festival to further expand.
The festival also encouraged brands to develop their own e-commerce capabilities. Hung Fook Tong, a third-time participant, utilized exclusive discounts, live-streams, and social media seeding, resulting in sales doubling for products selected by Li Jiaqi. Audrey Poon, General Manager, acknowledged that the festival helped build brand trust and strengthened their e-commerce capabilities, including marketing, logistics, and KOL collaborations. Similarly, Eco.babe, a startup personal care brand, saw sales of its insect repellent increase by over 50% year-on-year after participating in live-streaming sessions. Wesley Leung, Managing Director, highlighted that the festival provided valuable consumer feedback and sales data to optimize their product portfolio and market positioning.
The introduction of a designer toys category successfully engaged younger demographics, with promotional topics generating over 60 million views on platforms like Douyin, Xiaohongshu, WeChat, and Weibo, a 20% increase year-on-year. Natural Made, which used last year's event to enter the mainland, returned to launch its original IP “Poru-Poru”, achieving a 2.5-fold increase in brand exposure and product save rates on Taobao. Kenneth Lee, Marketing Lead, credited the HKTDC's training programs for providing practical insights into platform algorithms and AI tools, empowering their team to stay ahead of trends.
The inaugural Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN) will run from September 21 to 27 on Shopee and Lazada, featuring over 350 products. An official website will be launched, and a limited-time online store will allow Hong Kong businesses without existing presence in Malaysia and Singapore to test market response and gain practical experience. This expansion underscores the festival's role in facilitating Hong Kong's trade growth and tapping into the vibrant ASEAN e-commerce landscape.
