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Doughnuts, scones, cheesecake: three Instagram bakeries in Hong Kong share their secrets to social media success, from influencers to giveaways

Instagram bakeries – small food businesses that use the app as their key marketing tool – have carved out a distinct space in Hong Kong’s culinary landscape

Three such bakeries, Dough Beings, Grandma’s Scones and Ch.eese Department, share their success stories and why they chose social media to market their goods

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Dough Beings is a successful Hong Kong online bakery that has amassed more than 23,000 followers on Instagram for its doughnuts. It is one of many such businesses in Hong Kong that uses the app as its main marketing tool. Photo: Dough Beings

Published: 12:47pm, 30 Aug 2022Updated: 12:49pm, 30 Aug 2022

Every Tuesday at 1pm, Hong Kong bakery Dough Beings posts an Instagram story with a link to pre-order its doughnut boxes.

Just a few minutes later, a new story emerges: “Thank you for all your pre-orders! We’re sold out for this week now.”

This rapid sell-out is typical for the bakery. Founded by two sisters (who prefer to stay anonymous) in 2019, Dough Beings specialises in bombolone, a type of Italian filled doughnut that is fluffier and airier than its denser American counterpart.

But unlike traditional bakeries, Dough Beings doesn’t have a storefront or retail space – most customers discover them through word of mouth or on Instagram, where they have amassed more than 23,000 followers.

Banoffee pie bomboloni from Dough Beings. Photo: Dough Beings

In recent years, “Instagram bakeries” – small-scale food businesses that use the popular photo- and video-sharing app as their key marketing tool and sometimes even points of sale – have carved out a distinct space in Hong Kong’s culinary landscape.

This digital market is now saturated with everything from Korean-style lunchbox cakes to gluten-free sweet treats, featuring an ever-growing number of young entrepreneurs who are forgoing traditional retail and harnessing social media to grow their food and beverage businesses.