Hong Kong e-payment operator Octopus to spend HK$1 million helping city’s small businesses capitalise on e-vouchers plan
- Firm to help smaller firms with digital marketing as government prepares to give every adult Hongkonger HK$5,000 in bid to boost city’s economy
- Company will also subsidise businesses that don’t have Octopus system and waive admin fees
Hong Kong e-payment operator Octopus Cards will spend more than HK$1 million offering some 100 small businesses digital marketing support to help them capitalise on the government’s plan to give every resident HK$5,000 in e-vouchers.
A total of 108 companies will benefit from the new merchant-aid scheme, which will hire a professional digital marketing agency to help merchants set up a social media business account and provide them with a tailored promotion strategy.
Rita Li Yuk-yi, the company’s sales and marketing director, on Tuesday said Octopus would offer each merchant HK$8,000 worth of online media placement and marketing budget for promoting their stories and signature products.
“If they don’t have Octopus e-payment systems in their shops, we will also subsidise them,” Li said. “All administration charges will be waived during the consumer voucher scheme.”
Li was referring to the government’s e-voucher scheme, which is designed to boost local spending by offering every adult resident HK$5,000 in local spending vouchers.
The plan, which is expected to start registration next month provided the system testing runs smoothly, will benefit 7.2 million people and cost the government an estimated HK$36 billion, of which HK$600 million is for administrative expenses.
