The inaugural Hong Kong Shopping Festival, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and fully supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), will be held from 1 to 31 August across mainland e-commerce platforms. This new event aligns with a measure in the 2023 Policy Address to assist Hong Kong’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in expanding into Mainland China via e-commerce channels.
The launch ceremony for the Hong Kong Shopping Festival was held today. More than 230 local brands are participating, offering unique products and exclusive discounts in six major categories: apparel and accessories, personal care and cosmetics, home and living, classic food, smart gadgets and health supplements. The event also promotes products suitable for the senior citizen market. With the full support of the HKSAR Government, Financial Secretary Paul Chan appeared in a video to promote the event (https://bit.ly/3yaGwCT).
The Hong Kong Shopping Festival has adopted the slogan “Unveiling a New Lifestyle, Curated by Hong Kong“. “Unveiling a New Lifestyle” refers to launching new products in the market and the aspiration to enrich people’s lives through these products. “Curated by Hong Kong”, meanwhile, reflects the meticulously selected quality products from Hong Kong that are being made available to mainland consumers. The event enables local SMEs to leverage the extensive visitor traffic and diverse customer base of mainland e-commerce platforms to drive publicity, boost exposure and amplify the promotional impact. The initiative will also provide SMEs with practical experience in expanding into the mainland market via e-commerce.
Mr Chan said: “The brand of ‘Hong Kong’ has always been renowned for its high quality. Hong Kong’s products hold good brand value in the mainland and across the region. As the Hong Kong Trade Development Council organises the first edition of the Hong Kong Shopping Festival, we could, on the one hand, capitalise on Hong Kong’s advantage of enjoying strong support of the Motherland’s large-scale market, and assist Hong Kong’s small to medium enterprises in reaching new mainland customer groups and developing the mainland market, thereby injecting new impetus into their business development. On the other hand, it could enable mainland consumers to directly and conveniently gain access to and purchase quality Hong Kong products. At the same time, the Hong Kong Shopping Festival could help different Hong Kong products tap into the mainland market more extensively and make Hong Kong brands shine.”
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, national online retail sales reached RMB15.4 trillion in 2023, representing a year-on-year increase of 11%, while the online retail sales of physical goods reached RMB13.0 trillion, an 8.8% rise compared to the previous year. Online sales accounted for 27.6% of the total retail sales of consumer goods last year.
Stephen Liang, Assistant Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: “The mainland market has been developing in leaps and bounds, particularly the thriving e-commerce landscape. Diverse online channels such as live-streaming, instant retail and social commerce have become the new normal for many mainland consumers, involving a wealth of know-how. However, many Hong Kong SMEs are unfamiliar with the business culture and marketing channels in the mainland domestic market, especially for e-commerce, which has become a major pain point for many local enterprises. The inaugural Hong Kong Shopping Festival has attracted the participation of 230 brands and will help local SMEs gain practical experience and prepare them for expanding their mainland e-commerce operations.”
The Hong Kong Shopping Festival will be divided into two parts. The first part is the Discount Month from 1 to 31 August, during which an official campaign website will be launched featuring all participating companies, featured products and special deals. Concurrently, the HKTDC will promote the event through various strategically planned digital marketing channels, including Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Taobao, JD and others, boosting visits to the official website and, in turn, to the SMEs’ online stores.
The second part will focus on live-streaming e-commerce. In late August, the HKTDC will invite around 20 notable mainland key opinion leaders (KOLs) to conduct live-streaming sessions on major e-commerce platforms, including Douyin, Taobao/Tmall and JD, to directly promote 60 local brands. This will help introduce Hong Kong products to more mainland consumers while also providing a practical opportunity for local SMEs with no experience of live-streaming e-commerce to understand the workings of mainland e-commerce platforms and digital marketing. This will be a crucial first step in helping them expand into the mainland market.
Official campaign website of the Hong Kong Shopping Festival:
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