Taobao officially launched its first physical furniture and home goods store on Feb. 22 in Tsim Sha Tsui, located on the 2nd floor of China Hong Kong City. This new store is a collaboration between PapaHome and Taobao, and it attracted a large crowd of enthusiastic shoppers on its opening day. The atmosphere was lively, with many customers queuing to enter and try out chairs and sofas.

Unlike IKEA, which allows customers to place orders on-site and take furniture home immediately, PapaHome operates as an experience store. Customers interested in a particular item must scan the QR code attached to the furniture to find the corresponding store and product on the Taobao website. After placing an order online, delivery will take some time. For those requiring installation services, another app called "Papabo" must be downloaded to negotiate pricing and schedule installation. Both shipping and installation fees are charged separately, ranging from several hundred to over a thousand Hong Kong dollars.

In terms of quality, many customers expressed satisfaction during interviews, praising the high quality of the furniture, which leans towards a stylish and upscale design. The sales manager noted that Hong Kong customers tend to prioritize quality in their purchases.

Ryan's family visited the physical store today, and their biggest takeaway was their hope to order a HK$7,000 sofa, which is soft and large enough to meet their family needs. However, not every customer prefers large furniture. Sales representative Ms. Chan informed reporters that all the furniture showcased in the Hong Kong Taobao store has been carefully selected, making it more suitable for smaller living spaces, with fewer options in a grand style. The aim is to create an elegant feel even in compact areas. Ms.Tsui was interested in a dining table and TV cabinet, with a budget of over HK$3,000, but found the installation fees to be generally high. She suggested extending the operating hours to after 8 pm and adding more small-sized home goods in addition to the larger furniture for customers to choose from.

In addition to Hong Kong, furniture can also be delivered to addresses outside the city, such as Shenzhen. All furniture is shipped from warehouses in mainland China, so shipping costs to Shenzhen may be cheaper than to Hong Kong. Regarding return and exchange policies, staff stated that the concept of this experience store is designed to minimize the hassle of returns associated with buying furniture in Hong Kong. Purchasing after experiencing the items in-store significantly reduces the likelihood of returns. However, for large furniture items, the seven-day no-reason return service offered for regular Taobao products may not apply. If returns are due to non-objective reasons, customers will need to bear the shipping costs themselves.

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