Taobao’s first physical store in Hong Kong draws crowds

Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao’s first commercial space in Hong Kong, a furniture and lifestyle store co-run with local home repair platform Papabo, has drawn crowds eager to try the products before placing orders online.

On Saturday, about 100 shoppers queued outside PapaHome at China Hong Kong City in Tsim Sha Tsui, for the opening of the 2,322 square metre store featuring more than 10,000 furniture products from 100 Taobao merchants.

To manage the influx of visitors, the store implemented crowd control measures, allowing customers to enter in batches.

Visitors browsed the wide range of products displayed, testing out sofas and scanning the QR codes for detailed information and discounts.

A resident, who only gave his name as James, said he planned to spend HK$5,000 (US$640) on a new television console or bed, adding that he had never bought furniture on Taobao.