Mainland China

Hong Kong has long been a shopper’s paradise drawing people from all over the world for retail therapy and over the past two decades the fastest growing segment has been consumers from nearby parts of Mainland China.

SmartHK, a flagship event of Guangdong-Hong Kong Cooperation Week, drew about 2,000 business elites to Guangzhou this week, boosting cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland centres of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

As travel and trade between Hong Kong and Mainland China rapidly recover following the COVID-19 pandemic, the consumer market has picked up, boosting industries such as tourism, retail and exhibitions.

Social commerce is a well-established concept – the term appeared nearly two decades ago – but this branch of e-commerce is continually evolving, leaving marketing and sales professionals navigating through a shifting maze.

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) began running its SmartHK programme in major cities in Mainland China (including Guangzhou, Jinan, Chengdu, Fuzhou and Hangzhou) in 2011. This year's SmartHK is the first large-scale HKTDC in the mainland since border reopening with Mainland China. It is of special significance to connect enterprises from the two places.

A flagship event in the Hong Kong-Guangdong Cooperation Week, Chic Hong Kong will introduce Hong Kong’s excellent brands and characteristic designs to consumers in Shenzhen and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including consumer electronics and technology products, smart home products, food and beverages, trendy clothing, hygiene and epidemic prevention products.