Asia eCommerce Awards 2023: How Yahoo HK earned its stripes as a trusted digital partner

Yahoo has already made its mark in Hong Kong for being a leader in the digital and content marketing space. In last year’s Asia eCommerce Awards, Yahoo brought home the silver awards for Best eCommerce campaign - Content marketing and Best Holiday / Seasonal Marketing eCommerce Campaign.

In a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Celina Fan, head of lifestyle and commerce said the awards are a true testament to the team's achievements. Fan added that today there’s a heightened demand for trustworthy online shopping guidance and Yahoo Hong Kong serves as “a seasoned ally ready to provide users with reliable and high-quality shopping guides”. She adds that the platform has gained love for being able to drive end-to-end journeys that go from inspiring, discovery to purchase in a seamless and cost-effective manner.

This interview is done as part of MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s winners and finalists’ interview series for Asia eCommerce Awards 2023. To find out more about the awards, click here.

What is the next big shift that will impact the eCommerce industry?

Well, speaking of the retail scene in Hong Kong, here's a nugget for you: in September 2023, online sales claimed a solid 11.0% slice of the total retail sales pie, making waves with a hefty $3.5 billion estimate—an impressive 22.0% boost from the same month in 2022.

As consumers navigate this digitally charged landscape, the demand for trustworthy online shopping guidance intensifies. Here's where Yahoo Hong Kong steps in, not merely as an observer but as a seasoned ally ready to provide users with reliable and high-quality shopping guides. In a marketplace where choices are as abundant as cat memes, our guides on best buy choices at the best price serves as your compass and ensures that your journey from inspiration to final transactions is not just seamless, but also well-informed and cost-effective.

What was one trend that you saw in the past year?

I observed that consumer demands for festive shopping kicked off earlier than expected, prompting merchants to adopt a phased approach tailored to meet these early appetites. This led to an extended promotion period, adapting to shifting consumer behaviour for a prolonged festive shopping experience. For instance, Christmas advent calendars hit the shelves as early as August 2023, with purchases starting in September—departing from the typical shopping patterns seen in Asia. The Double 11 event mirrored this trend, experiencing shopping spikes at the end of October following various sales phases initiated by merchants.

What will you be focusing on in 2024?

Revenge Travel is happening, as we’ve seen from one of the online reports stating that HK residents have made over 28 million departures in the first 6 months of 2023, which is 10 times that of 2022. Traveling in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and short-haul travel in Asia are particularly in high demand. Therefore, we’ve started a new travel attraction and itinerary planning recommendations guide, and we have already seen strong initial engagement results. Travel will continue to be our focus in 2024 due to the strong travel demand.

We’ve also launched our first ever Yahoo Hong Kong’s mega shopping festival in June 2023 with over 40 participating merchants offering discounted details from fashion, jewellry, electronics to dining and travel experiences. The shopping event attracted over 1M pageviews in just a few days and generated successful conversions. We will continue to build this signature shopping event for our shoppers and merchants.

How do you feel about your win?

Yahoo Hong Kong has had great commitment and dedication in building our affiliate eCommerce business in the past three years, and the awards are a true testament to the team's achievements. Our strong commerce team will continue to contribute their expertise to create the best online shopping guides across a variety of industries for every online shopping decision."