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Taiwanese creative brand eCommerce platform Pinkoi opened office and first brick-and-mortar store in Hong Kong, hoping to use its base in the city to expand into other Asian and global markets.

Founded in Taiwan in 2011, Pinkoi is one of Asia’s leading platforms for creative products. Committed to building an ecosystem for creative Asian brands, Pinkoi partners with over 14,000 different brands to offer products, digital creations and workshop experience to nearly three million members. It has grown rapidly since its establishment and has expanded into a wide range of markets including Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China, the US and Canada.

In 2018, Pinkoi revamped its brand and took its business to the next level by launching a range of creative workshops called “Pinkoi Experience”. It has also opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Hong Kong, which will help the company expand into the offline retail sector. Located at The Mills in Tsuen Wan, the Pinkoi Shop features a new theme every month and hosts a range of exhibitions and workshops. According to Peter Yen, Co-founder and CEO, “Hong Kong is one of Pinkoi’s most important growth markets – in addition to its internationally-minded consumers, the city is also home to some outstanding design brands which are very popular in other Asian markets”.

According to Yen, Hong Kong’s online retail sector has huge potential, and Pinkoi’s online sales in the city have continued to grow. “We saw a big increase in our online orders between August and October, with 60 percent growth when compared to the previous three months. Moving forward, Pinkoi plans to diversify its online offerings and hopes to engage in Online-to-Offline (O2O) collaboration with our brick-and-mortar stores.”

A Gateway to the Asian Market

Following the brand revamp, Pinkoi plans to expand its presence in other Asian markets with the setting up of its first office outside Taiwan in Hong Kong. As Yen remarked, Hong Kong’s consumers have an international mindset as well as an eye for the latest trends, which helps Pinkoi expand into other Asian markets. “Hong Kong is a gateway to many Asian markets – it has a diverse consumer base and enables us to keep pace with the latest global developments,” he said.

Pinkoi currently employs a team of ten local staff at its Hong Kong office, who source local design brands, develop marketing and business strategy. Yen finds that the Hong Kong workforce is highly skilled, internationally-minded and proficient in multiple languages, which are all crucial for companies that operate across different markets.

“Thanks to Invest Hong Kong, Pinkoi has been able to access a range of essential resources and information from the government and the industry, as well as valuable marketing opportunities. It has been an important partner during our expansion in the city”, Yen concluded.