China’s e-commerce giants target Hong Kong market for growth

As competition intensifies among China's e-commerce giants during this year's "Double Eleven" shopping festival, many are turning to the emerging Hong Kong e-commerce market, investing heavily to expand their businesses.

Originally launched by Alibaba on Nov 11, 2009, the "Double Eleven" shopping spree has evolved into one of China's largest online sales events, with e-commerce platforms offering steep discounts to encourage consumer spending.

Alibaba, which operates Taobao, a leading e-commerce platform in China, announced in late September its plan to invest one billion yuan (about 139 million U.S. dollars) to offer free shipping in Hong Kong. The policy offers free delivery on orders over 99 yuan (about 14 U.S. dollars).

Another key player, JD.com, revealed a similar initiative, announcing an initial investment of 1.5 billion yuan (about 208 million U.S. dollars) in Hong Kong for product subsidies, logistics support and service upgrades.

"Data released by the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government shows that, the e-commerce penetration rate in Hong Kong remained below 10 percent in the first seven months of this year," said Lao Guoling, director of the e-commerce research institute at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

The initial move to offer free shipping is a key strategy to attract more customers, but the success of this initiative will ultimately depend on the development of efficient logistics networks, though optimizing these systems is likely to take considerable time.

"The supportive infrastructure and services will gradually improve, and once the first step is taken, the rest will follow. This is why I believe that taking that initial step holds even greater significance," said Lao.

She further emphasized that expanding into Hong Kong offers valuable learning opportunities for platforms in the mainland.

"We can apply our proven e-commerce experience while piloting in Hong Kong, benefiting people there. Meanwhile, the e-commerce operation rules and other aspects may also provide e-commerce platforms with more opportunities to practice," she said.

China’s e-commerce giants target Hong Kong market for growth

Digital technology has enabled more consumer formats to flourish across China, allowing consumers to enjoy a richer and more diverse supply of products and services through a simple touch on the screen.

In southwest China's Guizhou Province, special agricultural products including bamboo shoots, spicy dried peppers, sweet and sour pickled fish are on hot sale in various online livestream rooms.

In Tiantai Town, Chishui City, local authorities collaborated with a university to establish the first local rural revitalization research and practice base, where artificial intelligence technology is being explored to boost e-commerce livestreaming.

"I hope that through AI technology, we can reduce the operating costs of our livestream rooms, extend the time of livestreams, bring in more traffic, and help our villagers sell more agricultural products," said Dai Xiaoyong, Party secretary of Xinghong Village.

Meanwhile in urban area, the integration of online and offline shopping has also allowed many shopping centers to expand new ways of sales promotion.

In Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, many stores in shopping malls have opened livestream sessions, allowing customers to learn about their latest products without leaving home. Some malls have also launched new mobile apps, through which shoppers can place orders for delivery and make appointments for pickup, all in one stop on the phone.

"Now customers can learn about products and place orders online while enjoying our store services at the same time. This mode can also meet the needs of customers tight on time who just want to grab and go. It's more convenient for them," said Wang Dan, a salesperson.

Digital technology empowers online shopping, new consumption modes in China