One in four HK shoppers could do away with bricks-and-mortar: survey

Changes in consumer behaviour as an impact of the pandemic may be here to stay.

The pandemic has driven consumers to switch to online platforms to buy goods, and this reliance on online stores will likely remain, a survey found.

Around one in four, or 24% of Hong Kong consumers say “they could live without physical retail stores;” whilst one in two, or 50%, said they became more comfortable shopping online since the pandemic started.

In mainland Greater Bay Area cities, 23% said they could likewise do away physical stores and 59% are comfortable with online shopping.

“Consumers and retail executives surveyed all agreed that shoppers have developed new purchasing habits that are hard to break,” the report read.

“Retailers agree that much of the gain by digital channels from physical stores will not return to physical stores.”

The study, conducted by the KPMG China, GS1 Hong Kong and HSBC, surveyed 2,053 consumers and retail industry executives in Hong Kong and nine mainland GBA cities.

The survey found that 73% of retailers are now implementing GBA-specific strategy across one or more of their business functions, most commonly in sales and marketing and communications.

Some 30% retailers said they are now developing a GBA programme for logistics operation or supply chain management.