Mainland consumers prefer Hong Kong products for their quality, authenticity, and brand trust, offering a strong base for HK firms in the e-commerce market, a survey by Hong Kong Trade Development Council showed.
The Hong Kong Businesses Navigating Mainland China E-commerce Retail Market - Consumer Survey’ polled 2,200 middle-class or above mainland consumers in the second and third quarters of last year, exploring their online shopping habits and preferences for Hong Kong products, aiding businesses in strategizing for the mainland e-commerce market.
Irina Fan Yuen-yee, HKTDC director of research, highlighted that mainland consumers average 9.4 online purchases monthly, especially in first-tier and Greater Bay Area cities, prioritizing product authenticity over low prices.
This offers Hong Kong businesses a chance to leverage their reputation for quality to expand in e-commerce. Using comprehensive and interest-based platforms, along with livestreaming, short videos, and precision marketing, can help them stand out.
For mainland consumers, the top considerations when shopping online are authenticity guarantees with 15 percent, reputable merchants with 11 percent, and a wide selection of products on the platform with nine percent. Respondents believe that products from Hong Kong meet the highest safety standards and guarantee original materials both with 28 percent, ensure authenticity, offer reliable quality, and are stylish are all with 27 percent.
Hong Kong products are particularly popular among younger consumers, with 83 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 reporting that they had purchased Hong Kong products online in the past year, followed by those aged 30 to 49 with 82 percent.
The figure was lower among consumers aged 50 and above with 65 percent.
Mainland online shoppers hold favorable views of and satisfaction with Hong Kong goods, brands, or online stores from Hong Kong.
Overall, Hong Kong products scored an average of 8.7 out of 10, with third-tier cities rating them even higher at 9.2.
Younger consumers especially favor Hong Kong products, with the 18 to 29 age group giving the highest rating of 8.9.
Wing Chu, principal economist (Greater China research team) at the HKTDC, pointed out that while online purchasing power is currently concentrated in first- and second-tier cities, third-tier cities are gradually becoming a market focus.
Consumers increasingly expect fast delivery, with rising demands.
Additionally, the most popular Hong Kong products among mainland online shoppers are consumer electronics and appliances with 72 percent, followed by luxury goods with 46 percent and fashion items 41 percent.
Notably, mainland consumers who purchase Hong Kong products online spend more on average per order for children's products, pharmaceuticals and health supplements, and pet products compared to overall spending, which is worth noting for Hong Kong businesses.
