Hong Kong web design is just different

Hong Kong is a very special place catching global eyes in 2019. 98% of the population is ethnic Chinese and inherits a quite different culture from Chinese mainlanders or Taiwanese due to the colonial history for more than 150 years and other factors. There is freedom of speech and free Internet in Hong Kong. You can access most websites without any censorship here. All make a Hong Kong persona quite different from the others, not only the West but also mainland China, Taiwanese or ethnic Chinese in other countries. 

Before moving on, let me tell you the basic difference of a product seeking persona between Hong Kong and mainland China. In China, people seldom surf websites for a purchase. The whole online ecosystem is built on Tencent’s WeChat (Weixin) and Alibaba’s Taobao, a messenger and an online marketplace respectively. The Chinese people will communicate via WeChat and seek products on Taobao directly. Instead of building their own online shops, most suppliers set up their shops on Taobao or Tmall, both belong to Alibaba. I may say Facebook and Amazon take a very good reference to Tencent and Alibaba respectively.

This is not the case in Hong Kong. Hong Kong people simply follow the West, therefore they will google what they need, check the official website, and consume at the online shop. Yes, of course there are also marketplaces like Amazon or Tmall in Hong Kong, for instance the HKTV mall or Ztore.com. However, an official website will definitely build the brand and consumer confidence. 

Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that a foreign web design agency works fine outside Hong Kong can help you expand market share in Hong Kong for certain. The following paragraphs will tell you the details. In short, it is because of Hong Kong sub-culture and unique socio-economic circumstance.

Why do we need Web Design in Hong Kong?

It seems like a silly question but it is worth discussing. When we talk about websites, think about what the alternatives are. You may raise examples like Facebook Page, Amazon Marketplace or a blog. Hong Kong people, as the rest of the world, trust branding. For all those platforms for business, they provide standard templates for every single page. That means you cannot characterize your business by a Facebook Page, for instance. If you like to brand your business, you have to own a website with a unique domain. 

It is also about trustworthiness. Some victims suffered from defraud that criminals set up a Facebook page to sell products. You can never verify a company with a platform standard page. I don’t mean that a company with a proper website must be reliable, but it certainly raises the confidence of consumers. We need to present our valid Hong Kong business registration certificate in order to purchase a .hk domain, it makes everything more credible.

Furthermore, Hong Kong is open to worldwide design, from animating Japanese style to rocky American design, from continental European fashion to exotic African pattern. People here in Hong Kong are quite demanding for joy and entertainment from fancy design. They are just too busy to read everything and find no reason to digest your content once the design is not attractive.

Last but not least, Hong Kong consumers change fast, and you can hardly find consumer loyalty here unless your business is a celebrated brand. In order to maintain visitor engagement, we need web design to fuel the audience’s interest in the business. Not only about functionality but also a clear online presence given by web design. You can omit a website for the mainland Chinese market, but you can never miss a website for the Hong Kong community.

How Hong Kong website is different from the world

Yes, we need web design for the Hong Kong market, but why do we need a Hong Kong web design company (or agency or you name it)? It is simply because Hong Kong websites are different from the other region. Or I should say Hong Kong users are different. Though Hong Kong is an open city, the people don’t accept new things fast. As a website design company, we demonstrated some new web design trends in 2020 to our clients, for example brutalist, extreme minimalist, asymmetry and so on. Not our clients but the customers of our clients regard those modern designs “too exaggerated”. We have an interesting finding that the local market lags 18 – 24 months behind the most frontier fashion. Local consumers want fresh elements but please don’t be too fresh.

Like every city, you will have a unique subculture. The slang in New York is not the same as Washington. Hong Kong is special and every city is special. You may know that Cantonese (Spoken Chinese in Hong Kong) is one of the most difficult languages in the world. There are 9 voices and we have lots of fun with the language. A very funny example is the user-generated content website 9gag.com founded in Hong Kong. The domain name is confusing for those non-Cantonese speakers. “9gag” in Cantonese means “making something just for fun” and it has resonated with millions of users. Once in 80s to 90s, Hong Kong was a cultural leader in pan Asia, movies, pop songs and celebrities attracted millions of fans and a unique influence still has the effect up to now.

Why choose pnetform for your web design and web development

A Hong Kong web design agency for Hong Kong market, it sounds good. There are really a lot of good web designers and website development companies in Hong Kong. We, pnetform Technology, are one of the very best. In pnetform, everyone loves web design. We focus on communication to guarantee our client achieving the goal of the website. It could be a corporate website to raise the brand, it could be an online shop to converse leads to deals, and it could be a channel to establish business partnership. pnetform aims at realizing the plan effectively and efficiently.

All of our websites are SEO-friendly, thus you can find pnetform online. We build a big platform for your success on the Internet. It is the story behind our brand name. We translate your physical brand into online presence. It is not just an existence but a dazzling star from billions of websites in the world.

Web design and web development is never an easy task. Thousands of web design companies come and go every year. Thanks to our successful clients, their success is our glory. 

Who can help web design and development else?

Surprisingly, the Hong Kong SAR Government. There are several government subsidizing schemes supporting web development for Hong Kong companies regardless of the nationality of their shareholders.

• Technology Voucher Programme (TVP) – Hong Kong company can be granted 2/3 of the IT project cost up to HK$ 400,000. Web development is one of the sponsored projects.

  Know more about TVP

• Export Marketing Fund (EMF) – Hong Kong company exports product can be granted 50% of marketing fee (including web design and development) up to HK$ 800,000.

   

• Retail Technology Adoption Assistance Scheme (ReTAAS) – Hong Kong retailer can be granted 50% of online shop projects up to HK$ 50,000.

pnetform Technology is the strategic partner of Autus Consultancy Limited, a professional government fund application consultant firm. Our clients shall enjoy special offers for all consultation services.

Hong Kong is under an economic crisis in 2020. The price of rent and manpower is reducing and it is a good chance to invest in Hong Kong. Moreover, the Government has to provide support to the business sector in order to gain legitimacy. More business friendly policy is expected to address in the coming season.

Welcome to let us know your need in Web Design ([email protected])