Consumer Caring Strategies as One of the Keys to Win Online & Offline Shoppers in Adversity

HONG KONG, May 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — 84 local enterprises are recognised at GS1 Hong Kong’s 11^th Consumer Caring Scheme (the Scheme) this year. Despite the depressing retail market, the award saw newcomers including retailers and e-commerce platform player. This demonstrates that consumer caring strategies play a significant role in both online and offline businesses to maintain positive brand reputation and sales growth. The award presentation ceremony will be held on 28^th June 2022 at GS1 HK Solution Day.

Since its inception, the Scheme has acknowledged over 150 consumer caring companies across multiple industries covering cosmetics, personal care & healthcare products, home appliances, food & services etc. In 2021, close to 70% of the awardees (58 companies) were recognised for 5 consecutive years or above, in which 17 of them were recognised for "10+ Years", 30 companies for "5+ Years" and 11 companies for "5 Years", showing their long-term commitment to service excellence.

Participating companies are evaluated based on 4 core principles – consumer-centric, conforming to commitment, strive for quality and caring for staff, and assessed via self-assessment, interview, third-party consumer survey and field visits. In addition, the internationally acclaimed Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) that guages companies’ service and performance on consumer care was also taken into reference.

Ms. Anna Lin, Chief Executive of GS1 Hong Kong said, "Consumers have been shopping online more than ever before, 24% of Hong Kong consumers even expressed that they can live with only online stores^[1]. In order to sustain business growth, it’s not only crucial for companies to sell on both online and offline channels, but also to enhance shopping experience across all touchpoints. For example, many ‘Consumer Caring Companies’ have extended ‘consumer-first’ strategies online or even setup 7×24 communication platforms, enabling consumers to interact with companies anytime. The great tenacity of companies in pursuing product and service excellence, along with the positive brand image reinforced by the Scheme, can ultimately help strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong brands."

As the first e-commerce platform recognised by the Scheme, June Lam, CEO of HOME+ said, "Adhering to our belief of ‘Always Deliver More’ to consumers, HOME+ has built a shared economy platform that empowers merchants to cost-effectively reach customers on a massive scale with shared resources. For example, by leveraging the retail network of merchants as pickup points, we offer flexibility in pickup or delivery for consumers. We have also collaborated with non-profit organisations during the pandemic to support the underprivileged groups, enabling them to purchase quality food products in fair price via designated e-shopping services. We are thrilled to have received ‘Consumer Caring Company’ recognition after running our business for only 1.5 years. This not only affirms our commitment to service excellence, but also drives us to strive for better, ultimately offering exceptional e-shopping experience to consumers."

Heralded as "Consumer Caring Company" for over 10 years, Chuan Chiong Co., Ltd has been committed to implementing consumer-centric strategies. The company is the Hong Kong distributor of many well-known Chinese medicines like Beijing Tong Ren Tang medicine, as well as "Lianhua Qingwen Jiaonang" (the anti-epidemic proprietary Chinese medicine), supporting Hong Kong citizens to fight against the pandemic.

Stanley Wong, Deputy Managing Director of the company explained on the details. "Committed to safeguarding the public health, we have responded immediately once we saw the counterfeit drugs in the market by illustrating how consumers can spot the fakes. We have also set up online communication channel on Facebook to engage our consumers. Beyond that, we care about our staff, especially for tenured employees. We are grateful that the ‘Consumer Caring Scheme’ has recognised our continuous efforts throughout the years."

For further information, please visit our website: https://www.gs1hk.org/quality-food-scheme

Appendix – List of Recognised Companies of Consumer Caring Scheme
(in alphabetical order by brand or company name)

About GS1 Hong Kong

Founded by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce in 1989, GS1 Hong Kong is the local chapter of GS1®. GS1 Hong Kong’s mission is to empower businesses of their digital transformation, improve supply chain visibility and efficiency, ensure product authenticity and facilitate commerce connectivity, through the provision of global supply chain standards (including GTIN & barcodes), and a full spectrum of platforms, solutions and services.

GS1 Hong Kong currently supports close to 8,000 corporate members from 20 sectors including retail & consumer packaged goods, food & beverage and food services, healthcare, apparel & footwear, logistics & ICT. By working closely with communities of trading partners, industry organizations, government, and technology providers, we can foster a collaborative ecosystem with the vision of "Smarter Business, Better Life".

As a non-profit organization, GS1 develops and drives global adoption of supply chain standards. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, GS1 has over 115 national chapters in 150 countries.

Website?www.gs1hk.org