The Hong Kong Shopping Festival, an annual e-commerce promotion for Hong Kong companies, will expand to Singapore and Malaysia this year, after previously focusing on the Chinese Mainland. There are also plans to gradually expand the festival into other countries in the future.
Some 100 Hong Kong brands are lined up to take part in the first ASEAN edition, which will be held from 21-27 September in collaboration with two leading e-tailers, Shopee and Lazada.
This year’s Chinese Mainland edition, featuring more than 280 brands, will run from 1-20 August, supported by three popular platforms, Taobao, JD.com and Douyin.
Hong Kong businesses are well known for their quality products, giving them strong competitive advantages in Mainland and ASEAN markets, remarked Jacky Chung, Associate Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the festival organiser.
“Cross-border e-commerce is an important channel for companies seeking to expand into different markets,” Mr Chung noted.
“Through the Hong Kong Shopping Festival, HKTDC integrates training, professional consultancy, live-streaming promotion and practical sales opportunities to help enterprises progress from learning e-commerce to excelling in e-commerce.”
This year’s festival is themed ‘Hong Kong Trends, Curated Finds’. It will feature seven product categories: health supplements; food and beverages; personal care and cosmetics; home and living; apparel and accessories; silver economy products; and designer toys, a newly added category.
In a new ‘Behind-the-Brand’ series, making its debut this year, Mainland livestreaming teams will travel to Hong Kong and take consumers on immersive tours of brands’ factories and retail stores, offering insights into production processes, brand stories and product features.
Embracing online sales channels can help businesses unlock new sources of growth while diversifying operational and market risks, pointed out Bruce Pang, HKTDC’s Director of Research.
“As the world’s largest e-commerce market, the Chinese Mainland is enjoying a sustained consumption upgrade, with robust online demand for premium, distinctive and stylish products,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ASEAN e-commerce market is developing rapidly, Mr Pang added.
“Malaysia and Singapore are the stand-outs, thanks to their relatively high purchasing power, with both ranking as regional leaders in terms of e-commerce penetration and growth momentum.”
The growing importance of online sales channels is reflected in a Q1 2026 survey conducted by HKTDC Research. This indicated that 46% of Hong Kong exporters are already engaged in cross-border e-commerce, while another 20% plan to adopt online sales channels over the next 12 months.
Practical insights
The HKTDC has already organised a series of Chinese Mainland E-commerce Training Programmes that started last December, inviting experts and successful businesses to share practical insights and case studies.
The Council is also planning to roll out value-added services focusing on the ASEAN region.
These include specialised seminars on e-commerce, exploring market developments, platform operations and marketing strategies to help Hong Kong businesses compete more effectively.
The Hong Kong Shopping Festival is the flagship event of HKTDC’s E-commerce Express initiative, an ongoing programme of activities to help SMEs establish an online retail presence and scale up their operations.
The Hong Kong Shopping Festival is also aligned with measures outlined in Hong Kong’s Policy Address and Budget to support SMEs in expanding their cross-border e-commerce business.
Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR Government, has once again filmed a promotional video to promote the festival. He noted that e-commerce has become a vital channel for Hong Kong firms.
“The HKSAR Government is committed to supporting local enterprises in their digital transformation and in expanding their cross-boundary e-commerce operations.”