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The third Hong Kong Shopping Festival returns in August, aiming to help local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) tap into the Chinese mainland e-commerce market—the largest in the world—alongside a debut expansion into Southeast Asia.
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As the flagship event of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC)'s year-round E-Commerce Express, the mainland version of the festival will be held from August 1 to 20 and feature more than 280 brands.
Meanwhile, the debut of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) edition will take place from September 21 to 27, showcasing around 100 brands.
“Hong Kong businesses have long been recognized for their quality products and trusted reputation, giving them strong competitive advantages in both the mainland and ASEAN markets,” Jacky Chung Wing-hi, associate executive director of the HKTDC, said.
Chung noted that the debut ASEAN edition will focus on the Singapore and Malaysia markets this year to enhance Hong Kong companies’ digital marketing capabilities and brand influence in the region, strengthening the foundation for expansion into broader ASEAN markets.
E-commerce retail sales across the ASEAN-6 were estimated at approximately US$162.2 billion last year, and the region's online retail market is expected to maintain solid growth in the coming years.
Among them, Malaysia and Singapore boast relatively high purchasing power, with both ranking as regional leaders in terms of e-commerce penetration and growth momentum, according to Bruce Pang Ming, director of research at the HKTDC.
During the festival, the HKTDC will cooperate with Shopee and Lazada, two leading regional e-commerce platforms, to open dedicated event pages showcasing around 300 products alongside promotional offers.
Building on two years of success, the mainland version of the campaign will provide local businesses with practical opportunities to operate on major e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD.com, as well as social media platforms like Douyin, to expand their market presence and enhance brand awareness.
It will feature 600 unique products across seven major categories, including a newly added designer toys category, while consumers enjoy a wide range of exclusive discounts alongside live-streaming sales events.
To maximize publicity, the HKTDC will launch an extensive online and offline promotional campaign, including inviting popular influencers to participate in a seeding campaign to introduce participating brands to mainland consumers.
A representative from ProFone (Hong Kong) Limited, which is participating for the first time this year, shared that the company's products rank as top sellers on major platforms in local e-commerce market.
However, he noted that expanding into overseas markets means starting from scratch, as local regulations, logistics, and customer expectations differ vastly from those in Hong Kong.
He expects the festival to be highly beneficial by providing valuable insights into market trends and industry knowledge, while also offering opportunities to connect with new business partners and gain a deeper understanding of the overall market.
Last year’s edition received an enthusiastic response, with total visits to participating e-commerce platform campaign pages and the event's official website exceeding 100 million, representing an 11 percent increase over the first edition.
