Harbour City, K11 Musea among Hong Kong’s most Instagrammable malls as retail segment vies for social media pull

Social media is a major influence when it comes to today’s consumption decisions and Hong Kong is no exception, with the city’s shopping malls creating special events and photo spots for shoppers to create unique selfies and boost sales, say analysts.

Market research company Euromonitor International has projected that social e-commerce – the use of social media platforms to sell products – is likely to achieve total retail sales in Asia-Pacific of US$312.55 billion by 2026, more than double an estimate for total sales of US$148.83 billion in 2023.

The category is also tipped to outstrip live-streaming sales, estimated to hit US$282.75 billion for Asia-Pacific by 2026, growing by more than 40 per cent from this year’s likely sales of US$198.36 billion, according to Euromonitor.

In Hong Kong, the retail industry has held various events and allocated appropriate spaces to inspire social media posts that can tag the location for other shoppers to visit.

In some Hong Kong malls, retailers have shown a keen interest in boosting social media efforts, and see it as a key way to build their brand, engage with consumers and convert interactions into higher footfall, visibility and sales.