Black Free-Ride-Day

“Are you going to buy anything online today?” We asked one of our IT Engineers. They just laughed, it’s an amusing comment rather than a serious question.

Today is Black Friday, an online shopping extravaganza spearheaded by US-based retailers. However, you may have missed it if you were wondering around Hong Kong recently, with barely any marketing for this promotion in sight.

Black Friday fever has never taken grip of the Hong Kong market with the associated hype and fever that it has the US, the UK and other countries. It’s perhaps unsurprising, when on the doorstep Alibaba is driving its own retail strategy with a velocity that dwarfs efforts from western retailers.

On November 11 this year, what’s known as Singles’ Day in China, Chinese consumer spending on Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms amounted to $38.4bn USD. Compare that to the record high of $6.2bn USD generated by Black Friday in the US last year and you’ll get an idea of how insignificant this promotion is. What has generated genuine delight around here, is a local tradition known as “Free-Ride-Day,” whereby all tram rides and Star Ferry trips are free of charge, (compared to the usual $2.60.)

Yet, as an IT company, we were still curious as to whether there were any technology bargains to be had online. After all, names like “Cyber Monday” give us a reminder that the origins and core of this shopping holiday is rooted in the electronics sector.

So, just for you, we’ve curated some of the technology deals we could find:

  1. 1. Lenovo appears to be the trailblazer for Black Friday deals in Hong Kong. With a wide selection of electronic goodies and offers up to 50% off, this is our first stop to shop.
  2. 2. Gearbest is one of the only e-tailers offering an explicitly Black Friday discount on a range of electronics brands with payment in HKD and shipping to HK. While Fortress, for example, has a number of promotions for purchases online, none of them are especially for the Thanks Giving holiday period.
  3. 3. Amazon, while not having a local shop for HK, is still willing to cater to this market, offering free delivery on orders over 49 USD for qualifying items. However, beware, estimated delivery time will be provided at checkout and varies depending on item availability & delivery address.

Good luck, if you’re hunting for a bargain. Yet, remember, CNY is just around the corner….