Helping SMEs enter mainland e-commerce market with stronger brand recognition
18 July 2024 – Following the announcement in the 2023 Policy Address of a measure to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) develop e-commerce businesses and expand their markets, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), with the full support of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, will launch the first Hong Kong Shopping Festival from 1 to 31 August on major e-commerce platforms in Mainland China. This event will empower local SMEs to capitalise on the vast customer base and market opportunities in the mainland and enhance the visibility of their products and brands, while providing practical experience to prepare them for future entry into the mainland e-commerce market.
The HKTDC will inaugurate the Hong Kong Shopping Festival in a ceremony on 24 July (Wednesday) and announce details of the event. Representatives from Hong Kong brands AUSupreme and Taikoo Sugar will attend in addition to guest celebrity Kenneth Ma.
The mainland’s online retail sales reached RMB15.4 trillion (US$2.12 trillion) last year, up 11% year on year, the National Bureau of Statistics reports. Notably, the online retail sales of physical goods accounted for RMB13.0 trillion, showing a substantial annual increase of 8.8%. This segment represented 27.6% of the overall consumer goods retail market, a significant share that underscores the vast scale of the e-commerce industry.
Moreover, adopting diverse online shopping channels, including livestreaming sales, real-time retail and social e-commerce, has become the new norm for mainland consumers. However, numerous SMEs in Hong Kong encounter challenges when entering the mainland e-commerce market due to their limited knowledge of the business culture and the intricacies of its e-commerce marketing channels or marketing strategies.
Media representatives are cordially invited to join the inaugural ceremony. Details are as follows:
| Date: | 24 July 2024 (Wednesday) |
| Time: | 3pm – 3:25pm |
| Venue: | HKTDC SME Centre, G/F, HKCEC, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai |
| Language: | Cantonese (questions in Putonghua and English are welcome) |
| Speakers: | • Stephen Liang, Assistant Executive Director, HKTDC• Leslie Choy, Founder, Chairman and CEO of AUSupreme International Holdings Limited• Melody Keung, General Manager of Taikoo Sugar Limited• Kenneth Ma, Celebrity |
Rundown
| 2:30pm | Media registration |
| 3:00pm | Sharing by Stephen Liang, Assistant Executive Director of HKTDC, Leslie Choy, Founder, Chairman and CEO of AUSupreme International Holdings Limited and Melody Keung, General Manager of Taikoo Sugar Limited |
| 3:15pm | Interview with guest celebrity Kenneth Ma* |
| 3:20pm | Photo session |
*The interview session with Kenneth Ma will start around 3:25pm after the inaugural ceremony.
Hong Kong Shopping Festival: https://home.hktdc.com/en/factsheet/MC42NzYwOTQ3_hkshopping_fv_24
HKTDC Media Room: https://mediaroom.hktdc.com/tc
