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A Market Overview of Hong Kong’s Leading E-commerce Platforms

E-commerce has become a vital part of Hong Kong’s (HK) economy. 

In 2019, Statista reported revenue of US$4.8 billion generated by Hong Kong’s e-commerce sector alone. 

This figure was projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% between 2019 and 2023, reaching US$6.4 billion by 2023. 

This highlights the immense potential of Hong Kong’s e-commerce market in the years ahead.

To identify the major players in this rapidly growing market, iPrice conducted a market analysis using data such as average total website visits (desktop and mobile) and mobile app rankings (iOS App Store and Google Play Store).

Top 10 E-commerce Platforms in Hong Kong (Q4 2018) 

For fair analysis and comparison, the report focused on e-commerce companies based in Hong Kong, international companies with official Hong Kong domains, and selected international platforms most popular among local consumers.

In Q4 2018, Tmall led the pack with an average of 7.9 million total visits (desktop and mobile), followed by DC Fever (5.6 million) and HKTV Mall (4.4 million). 

Tmall’s parent company, Alibaba, heavily promoted its Singles’ Day sales in November 2018, which boosted visits to 10.1 million in that month alone.

 However, visits declined by 3.9 million in December, suggesting that Christmas sales are less impactful than Singles’ Day in Hong Kong.

Both DC Fever and HKTV Mall followed a similar trend in November and December, but visits rebounded by 10% in January 2019 as Hong Kong consumers prepared for the Chinese New Year.

Popular International E-commerce Platforms in Hong Kong

Hong Kong consumers are also active on international e-commerce platforms, particularly China-based sites like Taobao and JD.com.

As of January 2019, Taobao recorded over 601 million global visits (desktop and mobile), with 3.98% from Hong Kong. 

That’s equivalent to 23.95 million visits from Hong Kong alone — remarkable for a city with a population of 7.5 million. 

In that same month, leading platforms in Hong Kong like JD.com (5.2M), Tmall (7.9M), DC Fever (4.2M), and HKTV Mall (4.5M) collectively trailed behind Taobao.

According to the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong has become a fierce battleground for Singles’ Day sales. 

Alibaba, the pioneer behind the Singles’ Day phenomenon, achieved a record-breaking US$18.26 billion in just 24 hours. 

In response, JD.com launched its own Singles’ Day sales in 2018.

Jake Yu, Head of Supply Chain at JD.com, stated:"Hong Kong consumers are very picky and have an international mindset. If we can win them over, we can win the rest of the world over."

During the Singles’ Day period, JD.com attracted customers with free shipping and welcome coupons, fueling its rise in popularity among Hong Kong consumers.

Top Mobile Shopping Apps in Hong Kong

Mobile shopping behavior in Hong Kong differs from desktop usage. 

A KPMG 2017 report revealed that mobile payment transactions doubled compared to the previous year.

To track this trend, iPrice analyzed the top-ranking shopping apps on both Google Play Store and iOS App Store between 19 November 2018 and 11 February 2019.

Taobao emerged as the undisputed leader across both app stores, reaffirming its dominant market position. 

KPMG confirmed that Taobao has been the market leader since 2017, with 45% of online consumers making purchases on the platform.

Fashion-focused apps like Zalora, ASOS, and Farfetch also ranked highly, reflecting a strong local demand for online fashion shopping — supported by the KPMG survey showing 62% of respondents more likely to buy fashion products online.

Amazon continues to be a top mobile shopping app in Hong Kong, with higher popularity on Android compared to iOS devices.

Predictions for 2019 and Beyond

As of January 2019, Taobao remained the leader among Hong Kong’s e-commerce platforms and was expected to maintain this trend throughout Q1 2019. 

Tmall also solidified its position, logging over 10 million visits in January.

In the longer term, new and mid-tier e-commerce platforms have the opportunity to rise, given the growing demand and market potential. 

Statista projects e-commerce revenues to reach US$6.4 billion by 2023, indicating ample room for emerging players to capture market share.

As Singles’ Day sales gain further traction in Hong Kong, it will likely encourage even more participation from new players eager to claim their slice of this lucrative market.

Methodology

• Data was collected as of February 2019.

• Total visit figures (desktop and mobile) were sourced globally from the respective websites, except for Taobao and JD.com, whose Hong Kong data were estimated via SimilarWeb.

• App rankings were averaged between 19 November 2018 – 11 February 2019 using data from AppAnnie.

• Industries excluded: e-ticketing, financial services, rentals, insurance, delivery, F&B, meta-search, coupons, cashback sites, and platforms offering only classified ads/P2P services. Brick-and-mortar retailers were also excluded.

This expert market analysis is brought to you by iPrice Group.

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