Rising ownership of the three screens – personal computers, smartphones and media tablets – in Hong Kong has made online shopping more convenient and accessible than ever before.
While personal computers are the most common platform used for online shopping with over four in five online shoppers said they have used either their laptop or desktop computer to make purchases, more than half used smartphones and 40 per cent have done so using their media tablets.
“The number of online shoppers has grown by leaps and bounds from 218,000 in 2002 to 1,383,000 in 2012,” said GfK Hong Kong MD Walter Leung.
“Intensifying migration to 3G/4G LTE networks of smart mobile devices, added to the increasing adoption of larger screen sized smartphones which facilitate ease of usage have greatly fuelled the growth momentum of mobile commence, much to the delight of retailers and new start-ups.”
Among the top 10 online shopping categories, clothing came out top, followed by accessories, shoes, handbags, facial skincare products, books, hotels, flight tickets and electronic products.
While one third of the online shoppers spent around HK$200-499 during each transaction, mainly on clothing, accessories and shoes, over 80 per cent of the total online purchases of local consumers are for items which cost below HK$1000.
Magazines, official websites of companies and TV are the key sources which online shoppers turn to for information on their intended buys.
GfK findings indicate a greater tendency for consumers these days to do more research activities before actually making their purchases. More than half the respondents (54 per cent) used at least three platforms to do their research before actually making their online purchases with search engines, social media and discussion forums being the top three channels for obtaining word-of-mouth references and product information.
“To enter into e-tail business, a good e-commerce strategy is needed, but it is not the ticket to success,” said Leung.
“Marketers need to be more visionary and innovative to capitalise on the opportunity by optimising all the influential touch points in the whole purchase journey and develop a holistic commerce strategy in the digital world,” he said.
