The Hong Kong Shopping Festival (Chinese Mainland), organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) with support from the HKSAR Government, has concluded its third edition with remarkable success. The event generated over 115 million total views across all online platforms, a 15% increase from last year, and featured more than 280 brands and 600 products. Building on this momentum, the festival will expand for the first time to ASEAN markets, with dedicated campaigns on e-commerce platforms in Malaysia and Singapore from September 21 to 27.
The Chinese Mainland edition, held from August 1 to 20, offered consumers exclusive discounts and live-stream sales events on Douyin, JD.com, and Taobao. Marketing campaigns on Xiaohongshu and WeChat further boosted brand visibility for Hong Kong companies. The event also provided comprehensive support, including one-on-one advisory services and e-commerce training programs, helping enterprises enhance their digital marketing capabilities.
Algernon Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the HKSAR, noted that participating brands reported positive sales performance. “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, highlighted the event’s role in reinforcing trust in Hong Kong brands. “The strong reception once again demonstrates that Hong Kong brands and products are widely associated with trust and quality,” he said. “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.”
Live-streaming was a core component, with more than 30 sessions for around 90 brands, including dedicated broadcasts by renowned KOLs such as Li Jiaqi and Lin Yilin. 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 for immersive tours of factories and retail stores, enhancing consumer confidence and brand exposure.
Wai Yuen Tong, a health supplement brand participating in the series, saw sales on its Tmall flagship store increase fivefold year-on-year. Vivian Tang, Executive Director, said the live-streams allowed them to share brand stories and production processes directly with consumers, building trust and generating traffic for subsequent e-commerce broadcasts. Social enterprise Hello Cocoa, entering the Mainland market for the first time, achieved more than 200,000 brand impressions through live-streams and WeChat promotions, surpassing expectations.
To help businesses strengthen their e-commerce operations, the festival encouraged in-house live-streaming and content seeding. Hung Fook Tong, a third-time participant, doubled its sales year-on-year after its products were featured by Li Jiaqi. Audrey Poon, General Manager, noted that continued participation has built consumer trust and strengthened their e-commerce capabilities. Startup Eco.babe saw insect repellent sales increase by over 50% after participating in live-streaming sessions, gaining valuable consumer feedback.
The event also debuted a designer toys category, collaborating with artists Moon Lau and Kalok Chow to engage younger demographics. Topics related to the festival generated over 60 million views across Douyin, Xiaohongshu, WeChat, and Weibo, up 20% year-on-year. Natural Made, which leveraged the event last year to enter the Mainland, saw brand exposure and product save rates on Taobao increase 2.5-fold. Kenneth Lee, Marketing Lead, credited the training programs for providing practical insights into platform algorithms and AI tools.
Looking ahead, the inaugural Hong Kong Shopping Festival (ASEAN) will launch in Malaysia and Singapore, featuring over 350 products on Shopee and Lazada. A limited-time online store will allow Hong Kong businesses without existing presence to test market response. The official website for the ASEAN event is http://hkshoppingfestival-asean.hktdc.com.
