Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), MarketingPulse and eTailingPulse – Asia’s premier annual e-commerce and marketing events – will be held concurrently on 19 March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Under the theme “Generate New Growth”, this year’s conferences focus on how brands can rethink their growth strategies amid global market uncertainty, helping to turn challenges into forward momentum. From strategic insights to practical implementation, the events will comprehensively reveal new directions for growth, bringing together about 70 global e-commerce experts, marketing executives, brand representatives and advertising elites to share valuable insights and success stories relating to global marketing and e-commerce trends. Featuring 30 thematic sessions, seminars and demonstration sessions, the events will help to foster cross-sector exchange and boost collaboration within the industry.
The rise of e-commerce has injected new momentum into global economic growth, while the government is actively encouraging small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) to develop e-commerce capabilities that can enhance their market competitiveness. This year’s conferences will focus on the latest developments in e-commerce, helping participants seize growth opportunities in the current market environment through a dual-track approach that advances both e-commerce development and brand marketing. A lineup of experts will speak on topics such as agentic AI, lifestyle e-commerce, quick commerce and global brand expansion. They will examine innovation in e-commerce along with global marketing trends and emerging consumer opportunities, while exploring how the industry can generate new growth amid a rapidly evolving marketing landscape.
Tech marketing expert shares insights on data-driven growth
Jinhee Lee, Chief Operating Officer of Olive Young, South Korea’s leading health and beauty brand, will present on the theme “Beyond Retail, Building an Ecosystem: Driving Collaborative Growth of Olive Young and K-Beauty”. Drawing on perspectives from both marketing and e-commerce, he will explain how seamless omnichannel operations and data-driven marketing strategies are being leveraged to build a high-growth ecosystem for Korean beauty brands, while continuously expanding their global footprint. Well-known for harnessing data to drive innovation, Mr Lee has spearheaded a series of digital transformation initiatives and integrated retail strategies, using technology to enable Olive Young to stay ahead of trends and become a leader in the global beauty market.
Breaking new ground in marketing through the China experience and new retail
Atour Group is a leading player in Chinese Mainland’s mid- to high-end hotel chain market. Its Founder, CEO & Chief Experience Officer, Haijun Wang, will focus on two key themes during his presentation: 1) Experience Differentiation Strategy — placing differentiated experiences at the core to build distinctive product and service offerings across both the hotel and retail businesses; and 2) Customer Segment Operations Strategy — using a core customer base that pursues a quality lifestyle as the connective thread to deeply integrate the hotel and retail businesses, thereby shaping a unique brand group model.
Enhancing brand value through aesthetic intelligence in e-commerce
Pauline Brown, former Chairman of LVMH North America, will share how to leverage “aesthetic intelligence” to elevate brand value, shape consumer perception and strengthen overall online-to-offline experiences and marketing strategies. She will also discuss how brands can continuously cultivate “taste” and aesthetic acumen and explain how aesthetics and elevated storytelling can be utilised to build truly compelling brands in a rapidly changing e-commerce and technological landscape.
Exploring the latest trends in agentic AI and quick commerce
Quick commerce and agentic AI are bringing unprecedented changes to the e-commerce market in the Chinese Mainland, continuously reshaping consumers’ shopping patterns, habits and demands. Yatong Qiu, Vice President of Taobao&Tmall Group, Alibaba, will share on how brands and merchants can tackle demand through flexible merchandising strategies, real-time marketing and speed-oriented innovations to maintain competitiveness and seize time-sensitive opportunities. Meanwhile, Terry Li, Vertical General Manager of Smart Retail, Tencent, will take a deeper dive into agentic AI-driven e-commerce strategies. Looking from the perspectives of service providers and e-commerce ecosystems, he will share practical approaches and future innovation directions for agentic AI solutions, helping brands and businesses seize the initiative in the new era of e-commerce.
Decoding cross-border growth and market entry strategies for ASEAN
As ASEAN continues to rise as one of the world’s most dynamic economic regions, enterprises from the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong are actively setting their sights on Southeast Asia, particularly seeking growth opportunities through e-commerce channels. The conferences will feature a session titled “Decoding the Gateway to ASEAN: Cross Border Growth and Market Entry Strategies”, exploring strategies for entering the ASEAN market. Speakers including Luca Barni, SVP, Commercial, Lazada Group, will share their practical experiences in expanding within ASEAN. Attendees will get a comprehensive understanding of the growth opportunities and common pitfalls in this growing market, addressing e-commerce legal and regulatory challenges, as well as brand and product localisation strategies.
Cracking the Threads audience engagement plus celebrity insights
The recent rise of social platform Threads is further driving the evolution of brand marketing models. In the “Threads for Consumer and Audience Engagement” session, Kenie Kwok, Creative Strategy Lead at Meta, will share the latest trends in brand account management and user preferences from the platform’s perspective. Actor and “Threads Admin” Ng Siu-hin will share his insights on how to stand out as a content creator, offering practical tips on building engagement with netizens from a creator’s viewpoint. In addition, IN.DECIDE, renowned for managing social media platforms for multiple brands as an “admin”, will analyse its promotional campaign for the film Peg O’ My Heart, detailing how the virtual character “Choi San-keung” successfully broke the fourth wall with the audience.
This year’s “Meet the Celebrity” dialogue series has invited actor and singer-songwriter Louis Cheung to speak on the topic “Chasing the Golden Boy Within”. He will share his career journey in personal brand management and talk about his multifaceted development across the acting, music and creative fields. Meanwhile, content creator and MUSE TV Founder Mayao will discuss how he strategically leverages innovative promotional approaches to market music works, generating broad and lasting public impact and driving sustainable market growth.
Exploring the “healing economy” and IP marketing
When engaging with younger generations, who place strong emphasis on emotional connection, brands must understand “oshikatsu culture”, where young people identify strongly as a fan of an idol, along with the healing trend and intellectual property (IP)-driven consumer behaviour. The session “Healing Economy and IP Marketing” will feature speakers including Yiying Wang, Founder and Designer of Noodoll Limited, who will explore how brands can keep abreast of the latest trends, such as designing sustainably interactive experiences and campaigns with an “oshikatsu mindset”, incorporating healing elements into products or marketing to enhance resonance, and collaborating with popular IPs to boost reach and engagement, thereby deepening connections and relationships with younger demographics.
The conferences will introduce a new feature, “e-Commerce Connect”, showcasing the latest one-stop e-commerce solutions, with close to 30 local and international exhibitors. Additionally, a series of digital marketing and e-commerce workshops will enable participating brands to gain hands-on practical experience. Multiple networking activities will be organised, and participants can take advantage of one-to-one business matching services to facilitate cross-sector exchange and collaboration. The event will also feature live music performances, including a set from popular local singer James Ng.
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