The Hong Kong Shopping Festival (Chinese Mainland), organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) with full support from the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, concluded successfully with an enthusiastic response, generating over 115 million total views across all online platforms, a 15% increase compared to last year. Following this success, the festival will be held for the first time on e-commerce platforms in Malaysia and Singapore from 21 to 27 September.
As the flagship event of the HKTDC's year-round E-commerce Express, the theme of the third Hong Kong Shopping Festival is “Hong Kong Highlights, One Click Away.” The Chinese Mainland version, held from 1 to 20 August, featured more than 280 brands and 600 products. Consumers enjoyed exclusive discounts alongside live-stream sales on Douyin, JD.com, and Taobao. Marketing campaigns on Xiaohongshu and WeChat further enhanced Hong Kong companies' digital marketing capabilities and brand visibility, helping them capture opportunities in the Chinese Mainland market.
Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the HKSAR, said: “Participating brands of the Hong Kong Shopping Festival (Chinese Mainland) have reported positive sales performance. The Government will continue to support Hong Kong enterprises to develop e-commerce through flexible funding support, capacity building, training, and promotion assistance, with a view to assisting Hong Kong enterprises in strengthening their market competitiveness and seizing new opportunities brought by cross-border e-commerce. This year, the Hong Kong Shopping Festival is expanding into the ASEAN region for the first time, facilitating Hong Kong enterprises to tap into another enormous e-commerce market.”
Jacky Chung, Associate Executive Director of HKTDC, said: “This year's Hong Kong Shopping Festival (Chinese Mainland) built on the momentum of the previous two years and received an enthusiastic response. The strong reception demonstrates that Hong Kong brands are associated with trust and quality. The event also helps make high-quality Hong Kong products more visible and accessible. Building on our promotional experience in the Mainland, we are expanding into new markets. The Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN) will focus on Malaysia and Singapore, laying a solid foundation for Hong Kong businesses seeking to enter the ASEAN region.”
Diversified e-commerce promotion helped Hong Kong businesses expand in the Mainland market. Discount Month and live-stream e-commerce were core components. The event arranged more than 30 live-streaming sessions for around 90 brands, featuring renowned KOLs such as Li Jiaqi and Lin Yilin, TVB Select, and JD International Live-Streaming. These sessions attracted over 10 million views. A new “Behind-the-Brand” origin-tracing live-stream series brought Mainland live-streaming teams to Hong Kong for immersive tours of factories and retail stores, enhancing consumer trust.
Wai Yuen Tong, a health supplement brand, noted that the sessions significantly boosted consumer interest. During the event, sales on its Tmall flagship store increased five times compared with the same period last year. Vivian Tang, Executive Director, said: “The ‘Behind-the-Brand’ live-streams gave us a valuable opportunity to share our brand story and production processes, building trust. This experience enhanced our understanding of leveraging live-streaming in the Mainland market.”
Social enterprise Hello Cocoa entered the Mainland market for the first time this year. Through live-streaming and WeChat communities, it achieved more than 200,000 brand impressions. Louie Lu, Founder & CEO, said: “Through our participation with HKTDC's Design Gallery and the Hong Kong Shopping Festival, we reached Mainland consumers and gained insights into live-stream e-commerce. We will also participate in the ASEAN festival to expand further.”
Promoting deep participation among Hong Kong businesses was key. This year's festival encouraged in-house live-streaming and “content seeding.” Hung Fook Tong, a third-time participant, saw sales double for products selected by Li Jiaqi. Audrey Poon, General Manager, said: “Our continued participation has enabled more Mainland consumers to become familiar with our brand, building trust. The festival provided significant support for our expansion, strengthening our e-commerce capabilities.”
Startup Eco.babe participated in live-streaming for the first time, achieving a 50% year-on-year increase in insect repellent sales. Wesley Leung, Managing Director, said: “Participating allowed us to gather valuable consumer feedback and sales data, enabling us to optimize our product portfolio and market positioning.”
The new designer toys category leveraged social media to engage younger demographics. Collaborations with artists Moon Lau and Kalok Chow generated over 60 million views across platforms, a 20% increase. Natural Made, which returned for its second year, saw brand exposure and product save rates on Taobao increase 2.5-fold. Kenneth Lee, Marketing Lead, said: “The HKTDC's Chinese Mainland E-commerce Training Programmes offered practical insights into platform algorithms and AI tools, sharpening our digital marketing skills.”
The inaugural Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN) will debut in September. Through multi-channel campaigns, it will raise the profile of Hong Kong brands. The event will cooperate with Shopee and Lazada, offering over 350 featured products. A limited-time online store will support businesses new to these markets. For more details, visit the official website: Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN).
