The Hong Kong Shopping Festival (Chinese Mainland), organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), concluded with remarkable success, generating over 115 million total views across all online platforms, a 15% increase from last year. The festival, held from 1 to 20 August, featured more than 280 brands and 600 products, offering exclusive discounts and live-stream sales on Douyin, JD.com, and Taobao. This strong performance underscores the enduring appeal of Hong Kong brands in the mainland and sets the stage for the festival's first expansion into the ASEAN market.
Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the HKSAR, highlighted the positive sales performance reported by participating brands. He noted that the government will continue to support Hong Kong enterprises in developing e-commerce through funding, capacity building, and training. The expansion into ASEAN, he said, facilitates Hong Kong enterprises in tapping 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 demonstrates that Hong Kong brands are associated with trust and quality. He stated, "HKTDC has long been committed to creating diverse business platforms for Hong Kong companies. Building on its extensive promotional experience in the Mainland market, HKTDC is expanding into new markets this year. The Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN), to be held in September, will focus on Malaysia and Singapore."
The festival's core components included discount months and live-stream e-commerce. This year, 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, offering immersive tours of participating brands' factories and retail stores, which helped build consumer trust and confidence.
Wai Yuen Tong, a health supplement brand, participated in the "Behind-the-Brand" series and saw sales on its Tmall flagship store increase by five times compared with the same period last year. Vivian Tang, Executive Director, noted that the live-streams allowed consumers to understand their brand and products, building greater trust. "This experience has further enhanced our understanding of how live-streaming and e-commerce channels can be leveraged to reach consumers in the Mainland market," she added.
Social enterprise Hello Cocoa, which employs staff with special educational needs, entered the mainland market for the first time through the festival. Louie Lu, Founder & CEO, said, "Through our participation with the HKTDC's Design Gallery and the Hong Kong Shopping Festival, we have successfully reached Mainland consumers and gained valuable insights into live-stream e-commerce and cross-border sales models." The company achieved over 200,000 brand impressions and will also participate in the ASEAN edition.
The festival also supported businesses in developing in-house e-commerce capabilities. Hung Fook Tong, a third-time participant, leveraged exclusive discounts, live-streams, and social media seeding, resulting in sales doubling year-on-year. Audrey Poon, General Manager, said, "The Hong Kong Shopping Festival has provided significant support for our expansion into the Mainland market and strengthened our e-commerce capabilities."
Startup Eco.babe, participating in live-streaming for the first time, saw sales of its insect repellent increase by more than 50% year-on-year. Wesley Leung, Managing Director, highlighted the value of gathering consumer feedback and sales data to optimize product portfolio and market positioning.
To engage younger demographics, the festival collaborated with artists Moon Lau and Kalok Chow, generating over 60 million views across social media platforms, a 20% increase. Designer toys category debut allowed brands like Natural Made to launch original IP "Poru-Poru", resulting in a 2.5-fold increase in brand exposure and product save rates on Taobao. Kenneth Lee, Marketing Lead, attributed this to targeted promotions and HKTDC's training programmes.
Building on this success, the Hong Kong Shopping Festival will debut in Malaysia and Singapore from 21 to 27 September. The ASEAN edition will feature over 350 products on platforms like Shopee and Lazada, with official website Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN). It will also offer a limited-time online store for Hong Kong businesses to test market response and gain practical experience in the ASEAN e-commerce landscape.
