Prior to development and advancement, Hong Kong was a sparsely populated area with many fishing villages. However, today it is regarded as one of the best financial centre and commercial ports in the world. Recent surveys from the World Bank show that Hong Kong is ranked 10th as an exporter and 9th as an importer, making it one of the highest per capital incomes in the world. Hong Kong is also well recognized as a major business hub both locally and internationally, and becomes of start-up hub, especially with the new Greater Bay Area.

With the rise of e-commerce, entrepreneurs are investing in Hong Kong and there are still some opportunities due to the specific location and the so called "one country, two systems".

The assets of Hong Kong

The growth of e-commerce in Hong Kong is quite impressive. Statista reports that revenues will grow by 8.1% by 2023 which attracts entrepreneurs from South East Asia and Mainland China. But that growth is not the only reason of Hong Kong e-commerce attractivity.

• Hong Kong offers a friendly business environment with a secured lifestyle for individuals in a relatively free country.
• Tax rates are low enabling new businesses to thrive thanks to a profit tax rate of 16.5% and various policies and deductions that companies can apply to in order to lower down the taxes.
• It is still possible to open a limited company and a business account in just a few weeks and initiatives like Invest HK help foreign entrepreneurs to establish in Hong Kong.
• Proximity to China opens a gateway to the mainlanders for global businesses and, in the other hand, creates a springboard for an enterprise to reach international market. Not to mention that China is a good place to get affordable products.

With good information and technology infrastructure, efficient banking system, stable jurisdiction, close distance to China and a perfect location close to Southeast Asia, Hong Kong is your best option if you plan to open a company and to launch an e-commerce store.

Create your online shop

Once your company open, you need to think about the platform you will use to create your shop and there are plenty of online store builders like Shopify that can help you doing so.

Magento, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, and more are some of the various e-commerce platforms that have gotten popular and they offer many benefits for entrepreneurs who want to create a shop without having much of coding skills.

• Easy access to set up the platfore. There is no technical skill required regarding the development and hosting of the store. It offers the software and hosting needed.
• Create a visually appealing and unique store with customizable themes. They give the chance to add some features and apps to build the platform that will best fit your needs and your audience.
• Premium security and fraud analysis features are integrated. In e-commerce, nothing is more threatening to develop a turnover, than security issues.

Mobile responsiveness, marketing tools, shoppin cart management, faster website access, and outstanding customer support are other merits of using such platform. In exchange for a small monthly fee, entrepreneurs can save up on time and launch an e-shop in just few clicks.

Promote your shop in Hong Kong

There are various ways entrepreneurs can promote their brand in Hong Kong and of course, knowing your audience is a must. With three languages, Cantonese, English and Mandarin, Hong Kong is a specific market that has specific rules when is comes to marketing.

• To reach the full potential, brands must launch e-commerce platfroms with three languages (English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese) to be understood by the population. Most of the brand will prioritize one language but it means only reaching a third of the population.
• Hongkongers are highly connected to social networks and KOL (Key Opinion Leaders) are extremely important in a marketing campaigns since they can help increasing the brand awareness in a fast way to a targeted audience.
• Content marketing and a proper SEO strategy can not be ignored. Hongkongers are doing a lot of researches online, especially on Google, and successful entrepreneurs need to be visibible for keywords related to their products. Websites builders like the ones mentioned earlier include extensions that will help brands to get started.
• Paid advertisement on Google Adwords and Facebook work and although this would be budget consuming, it is highly effective if audiences are properly targeted.

E-commerce is booming in Asia and Mainland China is pushing the sector thanks to its increasing market and its large number of factories. Hong Kong, due to its strategic position in the Greater Bay Area and in Southeast Asia is one of the best places to open a company. The business-friendly environment is also an asset that entrepreneurs might look when it comes to develop a new business.