Hong Kong will get its first Taobao store at the end of 2024 at the earliest, in the form of an experience store where visitors can browse the popular Mainland Chinese online shopping platform’s furniture offerings. The space, which will span about 40,000 square feet, will reportedly be on the second floor of the China Hong Kong City in Tsim Sha Tsui.
According to local media reports, the experience store will be on the second floor of the commercial complex, which previously housed an established brand. The space will operate as a pickup point for online Taobao orders, and will be a one-stop shop for furniture-related services such as selection, measuring, design, ordering, and home installation in collaboration with local renovation and design platforms. During the initial launch, Taobao will reportedly use about 20,000 square feet of its Hong Kong space and the remaining floor area next year.
Taobao has been making significant inroads into Hong Kong over the past few years, with the introduction of a “Hong Kong Furniture Channel” in 2022, which provides customers the option of customising furniture and requesting installation for large-size purchases. More recently, Taobao announced free shipping to Hong Kong for orders over ¥99, starting October 1, 2024.
This isn’t the first time that Taobao will open a brick-and-mortar outlet — they launched their debut physical store in Singapore in 2019 in Funan Mall, along with authorised local partner Virmall. And while the online platform does not have an English interface in Hong Kong — unlike the one recently launched in Singapore — there are ways to shop on Taobao in English from Hong Kong.
Image credits: China Hong Kong City, Virmall
