“We see that Hong Kong consumers generally spend more on physical shopping than online — HK$1,634 ($210.60) per month for physical shopping, compared to HK$946 ($121.90) per month online. E-commerce is still less popular in Hong Kong compared to other markets in Asia-Pacific,” he said.
Despite this, shopping patterns are expected to change, with 49% of respondents saying they are prepared to spend more online in the next two years, compared to 24% reporting that they will spend more on shopping in physical stores.
“E-commerce is not expected to pose a threat to brick and mortar retail sales in Hong Kong,” said Lin. “But online consumption continues to trend up and is beginning to influence the local retail market. Retailers are therefore advised to leverage the marketing value of physical stores whilst extending promotions and sales to internet portals in order to capture both traditional consumers and the younger generation.“