Into the minds of Hong Kong’s online shoppers

Consumers in Hong Kong are accustomed to online shopping, with two thirds of shoppers completing purchases within the day if they were to complete the shopping journey, demonstrating decisiveness compared to shoppers in other markets.

SAP Consumer Propensity surveyed Hong Kong shoppers to gain insights into their online shopping behaviour, including their motivation to purchase online, and their views on how brands can improve the overall customer experience.

E-commerce companies looking to enhance the online shopping experience for people in Hong Kong should do three things:

1. Provide easy exchange and return services (free return labels or nearby lockers) (58%)
2. Include comparison tools to compare prices and specifications (50%)
3. Offer different sizes or types of the item to try out before deciding which version to purchase (44%)

Besides the wishlist provided by by customers, Hong Kong shoppers also shared what drive them to make the decision to purchase. The top three drivers are:

1. Receiving discount or promotion notifications (56%)
2. Receiving discount with purchase notifications (36%)
3. Receiving timely response to a query (25%)

However, when it comes to abandoning virtual shopping carts, 51% of Hong Kong consumers discard their carts sometimes or all the time, just as likely as other shoppers across Asia Pacific (52%) – ahead of the Americas (46%) and Europe (43%) on average.

When probed further, around two-fifths (42%) of people surveyed said that they abandon carts because they are concerned with shipping costs.

The second and third most common reasons was the lack of promotions or discounts (39%) and price-savvy customers preferring to use online sites for price comparisons only (39%).

“Reviewing cart abandonment data provides a starting point for retailers to identify friction points in the consumer journey and make improvements to the overall purchasing experience for Hong Kong’s customers,” said Frank Zhang, General Manager of Greater China, SAP Customer Experience.

“The results point toward a deeper demand from Hong Kong consumers for engaging yet simplified buying experiences tailored to their individual needs and lifestyles, which extends to ongoing service and support.”