Popmap out to be Hong Kong's one-stop online shop

Hungry Hongkongers are spoiled for choice when it comes to online ordering: Food Panda delivers from top restaurants while Secret Ingredient can turn you into a gourmet chef in 15 minutes.

Popmap, a Hong Kong-based start-up, is tackling the issue by getting local stores to picture, list and sell their products on its e-commerce platform. The website then delivers the goods in as little time as one hour.

Co-founder Idris Sersoub, a French expat who has lived in Hong Kong for three years, says that while the city has plenty of fashion-based retail websites, Popmap - which has already attracted 600 users since launching in January - is the "first e-commerce community in the city that is interactive for buyers and sellers".

"The idea came to me when I needed a pair of earrings for my girlfriend," says Sersoub. "Virtually no boutique websites had their products on show; I had to physically go to the stores myself. It was time consuming, so it gave me the idea of Popmap."

Available as a web-based service and an iOS or Android app, Popmap allows shoppers to browse hundreds of stores by location or to search by goods, which range from cycling gear, to aromatherapy oils, art and, of course, food.