E-tailers fail to satisfy

<p>Hong Kong's e-tailers are struggling to keep pace with the SAR's </p><p>shoppers, as spenders are becoming intensely dissatisfied with their </p><p>online purchases, according to a survey by ACNielsen. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The researcher surveyed 1,000 people in the SAR and found "very </p><p>satisfied" and "quite satisfied" shoppers fell from 87 per cent in </p><p>January to 64 per cent in August this year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The number of online shoppers during that period held steady at 5 per </p><p>cent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The figure of disappointed shoppers, which cited slow or non-existent </p><p>delivery, was at 77 per cent. Meanwhile, 37 per cent of shoppers failed </p><p>to receive the goods ordered. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Industry analysts attributed the poor performance to an ineffective </p><p>delivery infrastructure and convenient access to retail outlets. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Other complaints by Hong Kong's online shoppers included the inability </p><p>to see products before making a purchase at 23 per cent, failure to </p><p>accept returned goods at 11 per cent and comparatively high prices at </p><p>eight per cent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The most popular goods, according to ACNielsen, were groceries. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Almost 50 per cent of the people shopping online in August bought food </p><p>or household items in the previous 12 months, up from 20 per cent in </p><p>January. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The survey found surfers shopped online for groceries at least once </p><p>every two weeks, pushing average annual online spending up 30 per cent </p><p>to HK$3,600 per customer, equating to a market sales value of </p><p>over HK$800 million. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Johnny Tsin, senior consultant, ACNielsen.online Hong Kong, said: </p><p>"Putting it into context, 1999 retail sales in Hong Kong were about </p><p>HK$180 billion, so there's still a long way to go before we </p><p>realise the potential for business to consumer e-commerce. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"But if current dissatisfaction levels are an indicator, as demand for </p><p>e-shopping grows online, retailers are going to be under tremendous </p><p>pressure to deliver the goods and meet the growing expectations of our </p><p>online shoppers." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>