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Coronavirus pandemic
Hong KongHong Kong economy

Coronavirus pandemic got Hong Kong to embrace e-commerce, and ‘trend looks likely to stay’

  • Those in sector say disruptions to brick-and-mortar businesses have been a boon for online platforms
  • Co-founder of GoGoX, the home-grown, app-based logistics platform, says business has grown at least threefold over past year

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The pandemic has driven Hongkongers to fully embrace online shopping, industry leaders say. Photo: Shutterstock
Kathleen Magramo

Hong Kong finally jumped on the e-commerce bandwagon over the past year as social-distancing measures related to the Covid-19 pandemic kept residents at home, with industry leaders saying they expect the changes to stick – even in a post-coronavirus world.

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Speaking on Tuesday at the latest edition of the “Redefining Hong Kong Debate Series”, an online forum organised by the South China Morning Post, those in the sector said disruptions to brick-and-mortar businesses appeared to have pushed Hongkongers – once among the world’s most reluctant online shoppers – to increasingly buy items with the click of a button.

Bill Lee, director of new verticals for Hong Kong at online food delivery platform Foodpanda, said the city had been catching up with its Singaporean counterparts, driven by the necessity to adopt e-commerce amid the pandemic.

“I think attitudes towards embracing e-commerce and online sales have changed,” Lee said. “We see investments going in more heavily; we also see things like delivery times go faster, and that’s all in line with what we expect.”
Foodpanda executive Bill Lee, seen at a Pandamart in Central. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Foodpanda executive Bill Lee, seen at a Pandamart in Central. Photo: Jonathan Wong

One of Foodpanda’s latest investments sought to tap into a segment called “quick commerce”, with groceries ordered through the app delivered in just 15 minutes, Lee said.

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Average takeaway delivery times, he added, had also been reduced from nearly 50 minutes in 2018 to just around 20 minutes at present.

Reeve Kwan, co-founder of GoGoX, the app-based logistics platform, said he was delighted to see strong growth in his industry as the Covid-19 pandemic propelled sales to move online. GoGoX, formerly GoGoVan, is a home-grown delivery and van-hailing start-up that first launched in 2013.

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