Livestreaming goes mainstream

J Ocean Pearl Jewellery Limited Director Jackie Leung and Marketing Director Lila Wong said their Jewellery Show sales were satisfactory, helped by using social media promotions to further extend their reach to new customer segments. “The KOL livestreaming session at our booth was an interesting way to interact with viewers, opening up new business opportunities and attracting more customers,” they said.
Yvonne Pong, Director of Wing Hang South Sea Pearl Company Limited, said a new customer purchased a golden pearl necklace priced at more than HK$200,000 (US$25,500). “Our sales have been encouraging. The shows attract many quality consumers with strong purchasing power,” Ms Pong said.
Another exhibitor, Jignesh Donda, Director, Sheetal (Far East) Limited, said: “We showcased a variety of exquisite diamonds at the show, primarily focused on 0.3 to 0.5 carat diamonds, to cater to the preferences of local customers. The new Exhibition Centre MTR station makes it more convenient for exhibitors and visitors to get to the fairground. We’ve received a number of enquiries and believe we will meet more new customers here.”

Design talent

As one of the highlight events this year, the 23rd Hong Kong Jewellery Design Competition continued to provide a platform for local talents to showcase their creative flair and to identify budding designers. The winning pieces were displayed at the twin jewellery shows.
The shows also provided a precious opportunity for young designers to interact with the public, while showcasing their creative talents and jewellery designs. Fanny Yu, Group Project Director of Loupe, noted: “Loupe is a design incubation space founded by Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group to nurture Hong Kong’s young talents in jewellery-making and design. This is the first time we have participated in the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show. Around 20 young jewellery designers are with us here. Through this opportunity, they have acquired a deeper understanding of local consumers’ needs. This will definitely help their career development.”
The HKTDC surveyed more than 1,000 exhibitors and visitors during the twin jewellery shows. The results showed that the most popular purchases were diamond jewellery, followed by gemstone jewellery and jade jewellery. Close to 40% of surveyed visitors said they had spent at least HK$1,000 more at the fairs in anticipation of a new round of consumption vouchers from the government. About 33% of visitors said they had spent more than HK$10,000 at the jewellery shows.

The debut Simply Shopping Fest showed its effectiveness as a channel for exhibitors to sell products to the general public. HKTDC’s survey conducted at the event revealed that gourmet food and wine were the most purchased types of product, followed by home and living goods and health and beauty items. Survey respondents said product variety, product price and discount offers were the most attractive aspects of the shopping fair.
Gary Ching, Founder & Watchmaker, Anpassa Watch Company, Hong Kong said: “We are participating in the debut Simply Shopping Fest to let more people know about our local brand, ‘Anpassa’, along with our customised and personalised watchmaking service. We estimate that on-site sales will be around HK$100,000. Benefitting from the Government’s Convention and Exhibition Industry Subsidy Scheme, SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) from different sectors are able to participate in this fair at discounted exhibition fees, bringing a greater variety of products to consumers.”

The HKTDC collaborated with livestreaming platforms to present multiple livestreaming sessions at the three events, helmed by KOLs who promoted exhibitors' products and interacted with the audience.
Exhibitor Kenneth Au, Co-founder and Director at Life Is For Excellence Limited, said: “The KOLs explain the features of our healthy foods to customers in an interactive and persuasive way. Customers buy our products via the livestreaming platform and pick them up at the fairground. This O2O shopping model has helped us increase our exposure, enrich our customers’ experience and generate more sales turnover.”
Meanwhile, Jackel Lee, Owner of Nubiotic International (HK) Limited, said orders generated from the livestreaming sessions accounted for 10% of the company’s turnover at the fair.
Numerous exciting events were held during the three fairs, including smart bidding sessions where shoppers bid on popular items starting at 10% of the retail price. Other well-received events at the jewellery shows included the Jewellery Parade Series, Tahitian Pearl Stylish Bracelet Workshop and Handmade Rose Earrings Workshop as well as sharing sessions on “Diamond, Arts and Science” and “Making Unique Jewellery: The Tradition and Future of Craftsmanship”.
At the Simply Shopping Fest, events such as the Hong Kong Tasting Trendies Sake Awards 2022, Cooking with Chef Kitty, Oppa's Cuisine – Food and Wine Pairing, Chinese calligraphy appreciation, and sharing sessions on Chinese medicine and the ketogenic diet were popular among visitors.