Hong Kong brands and products are winning over consumers in the Chinese Mainland.
Companies participating in the third Hong Kong Shopping Festival, an annual e-commerce promotion that ran in the Chinese Mainland last month, reported brisk sales this year, while total views for the event passed 115 million, a 15% increase on last year.
Overall, 600 consumer products from 280 brands took part in the three-week campaign, which was anchored around exclusive discounts and livestreams with celebrated influencers on Douyin, JD.com and Taobao, three of the Chinese Mainland’s most popular e-commerce sites.
This was supported by marketing on Xiaohongshu and WeChat, two prominent social media platforms, raising the profile of participating brands.
The event also provided promotional copywriting and creative visuals that companies could use across their own e-commerce platforms and social media channels.
This combined push helped make high-quality Hong Kong products more visible and readily available through relevant sales channels, noted Jacky Chung, Associate Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the event’s organiser.
“This year’s Hong Kong Shopping Festival (Chinese Mainland) built on the momentum of the previous two years and received an enthusiastic response from consumers in the Chinese Mainland,” Mr Chung observed.
“The strong reception once again demonstrates that Hong Kong brands and products are widely associated with trust and quality.”
The Hong Kong Shopping Festival is the flagship event of the HKTDC’s year-round E-commerce Express programme, which also includes thematic training seminars and one-on-one advisory services.
This year, an ASEAN edition is being added for the first time, with a campaign set to run in Malaysia and Singapore on two leading online shopping platforms, Shopee and Lazada.
Live-streaming drives sales
This year’s campaign in the Chinese Mainland, meanwhile, featured a range of online and offline marketing activities.
This included more than 30 live-streaming sessions for some 90 brands, led by renowned online celebrities such as beauty influencer Li Jiaqi, often referred to as the Lipstick King.
This year also saw the debut of a live-streaming series called Behind-the-Brand. Teams from the Chinese Mainland took viewers on immersive tours of factories and retail stores in Hong Kong, offering insights into the production processes, stories and product features of promoted brands.
Wai Yuen Tong, a health supplement brand that took part in the Behind-the-Brand series, saw sales on its flagship store on Tmall, part of Taobao, increase fivefold compared with the same period last year.
“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,” remarked Wai Yuen Tong’s Executive Director, Vivian Tang.
“Looking ahead, we will continue to develop origin-tracing content and combine it with e-commerce initiatives to further deepen our presence in the Mainland market.”
Hello Cocoa, which employs staff with special educational needs to sell handcrafted chocolates, also reported a significant uplift in awareness after taking part in the Hong Kong Shopping Festival. The company first entered the Mainland market via HKTDC’s Design Gallery Flagship Store on JD International in July.
“We have successfully reached Mainland consumers and gained valuable insights into live-stream e-commerce and cross-border sales models,” noted Louie Lu, Hello Cocoa’s Founder and CEO. To expand its cross-border e-commerce presence, the social enterprise is also planning to take part in the Festival’s ASEAN edition.
Building brand affinity
This was the third year that well-known beverage brand Hung Fook Tong has been part of the Hong Kong Shopping Festival to increase consumer affinity and trust.
“As a result, our brand has established a stronger and more reliable image,” recounted Hong Fook Tong’s General Manager Audrey Poon.
The Festival also helped the company strengthen its e-commerce capabilities, including marketing and promotional activities, cross-border logistics and collaborations with key opinion leaders, she continued.
Two of its products, Imperatae Cane Drink and Salted Mandarin Drink, were selected by Li Jiaqi for a live-stream session, resulting in sales doubling compared with the same period last year.
Personal care start-up Eco.Babe participated in the Hong Kong Shopping Festival’s live-streaming sessions for the first time this year, highlighting key features, usage instructions and application scenarios. As a result, sales of its hypoallergenic insect repellent increased by more than 50% year-on-year.
“We have been able to gather valuable consumer feedback and sales data,” commented Managing Director Wesley Leung.
This deeper understanding of consumer needs and purchasing habits will help the company finetune its product portfolio, market positioning, pricing strategy and e-commerce operations in the future, he added.
A new designer toys category this year also opened doors to connect with young consumers.
Baby products company Natural Made, which first entered the Chinese Mainland market through last year’s Shopping Festival, returned this year to launch its original IP Poru Poru. The campaign was a resounding success, with performance metrics far exceeding previous results.
Kenneth Lee, the company’s Marketing Lead, attributed this growth to the Shopping Festival’s targeted promotion, as well as the HKTDC’s e-commerce training, offering practical insights into the latest platform algorithms and AI tools.
“The programme empowered our team to sharpen our digital marketing skills and stay ahead of industry trends, serving as a vital resource for our sustained growth in the Mainland e-commerce sector,” Mr Lee said.