The third 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 with resounding success, generating over 115 million total views across all online platforms—a 15% increase from last year. Building on this momentum, the festival will expand, for the first time, to e-commerce platforms in Malaysia and Singapore from September 21 to 27.
The festival, themed “Hong Kong Highlights, One Click Away,” served as the flagship event of HKTDC’s year-round E-commerce Express. Held from August 1 to 20, it featured more than 280 brands and 600 products, offering exclusive discounts and live-stream sales on Douyin, JD.com, and Taobao. Marketing campaigns on Xiaohongshu and WeChat further boosted Hong Kong companies’ digital marketing capabilities and brand visibility. The event also provided comprehensive support, including one-on-one advisory services and Chinese Mainland e-commerce training programs.
Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the HKSAR, noted that participating brands reported positive sales. “The Government will continue to support Hong Kong enterprises to develop e-commerce through flexible funding support, capacity building, training, and promotion assistance,” he said. “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, emphasized the festival's role in reinforcing the association of Hong Kong brands with trust and quality. “HKTDC has long been committed to creating diverse business platforms for Hong Kong companies. Building on our extensive promotional experience in the Mainland market, we are expanding into new markets this year,” he said, referring to the upcoming ASEAN edition.
Key components of the Mainland festival included Discount Month and live-stream e-commerce. More than 30 live-streaming sessions were arranged for around 90 brands, featuring renowned KOLs such as Li Jiaqi and Lin Yilin, and TVB Select. These sessions attracted over 10 million views. A new “Behind-the-Brand” origin-tracing series brought Mainland live-stream teams to Hong Kong, offering immersive tours of factories and retail stores, which helped build consumer trust.
Wai Yuen Tong, a health supplement brand, saw sales on its Tmall flagship store increase five-fold during the event. Vivian Tang, its Executive Director, said, “The ‘Behind-the-Brand’ live-streams gave us a valuable opportunity to share our brand story... This experience has further enhanced our understanding of how live-streaming and e-commerce channels can be leveraged.” Similarly, Hello Cocoa, a social enterprise employing staff with special educational needs, entered the Mainland market for the first time via the Design Gallery on JD International and the festival, achieving over 200,000 brand impressions. Founder Louie Lu stated, “Through our participation... we have successfully reached Mainland consumers and gained valuable insights into live-stream e-commerce and cross-border sales models. Looking ahead, we will also participate in the Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN).”
The festival also encouraged brands to develop in-house live-streaming and content seeding. Hung Fook Tong, a three-time participant, saw sales double after two of its products were selected by Li Jiaqi. Audrey Poon, General Manager, said, “Our continued participation has enabled more Mainland consumers to become familiar with our brand... The festival has also provided significant support for our expansion.” Eco.babe, a startup personal care brand, joined live-streams for the first time and saw insect repellent sales increase over 50%. Wesley Leung, Managing Director, noted, “By participating... we have been able to gather valuable consumer feedback and sales data.”
To capture the youth market, the festival collaborated with artists Moon Lau and Kalok Chow, generating over 60 million views on social media—a 20% increase. The debut of a designer toys category helped Natural Made launch its IP “Poru-Poru,” with brand exposure and product save rates on Taobao seeing a 2.5-fold increase. Kenneth Lee, Marketing Lead, credited HKTDC’s training programs: “The Chinese Mainland E-commerce Training Programmes were highly pertinent, offering practical insights into the latest platform algorithms and AI tools.”
The inaugural Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN) will launch this month, with an official website and collaborations with Shopee and Lazada in Malaysia and Singapore. Over 350 featured products will be showcased, and a limited-time online store will assist businesses without existing e-commerce presence in the region. For more details, visit the official festival page: Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN).
