HONG KONG: A survey by Taylor Sofres Interactive has found 83 per
cent of the adult population in Hong Kong has a mobile phone, while 14
per cent have WAP, ranking the SAR first in mobile ownership and fourth
in WAP phone ownership in Asia-Pacific.
While the figures highlight the potential growth of mobile commerce in
Hong Kong, TNS Hong Kong managing director, Wander Meijer, said the
opportunities for m-commerce to benefit from e-commerce were "still
comparatively low".
"Technological advancement made via broadband services will certainly
help to speed up internet access via mobile phones, especially with the
introduction of GPRS and 3G technologies.
"However, m-commerce still has a long way to go before it achieves wide
acceptance among internet users in Hong Kong. The major obstacle is that
most WAP phone owners do not perceive it as a tool for accessing the
internet," Meijer said.
He added that there were numerous limitations to WAP technology,
including "a lack of confidence in online shopping due to relatively
limited experience of the internet and perceived security issues", which
suggested a reluctance by WAP users to fully utilise the services
offered.
The study also showed that 14 per cent more people own mobile phones
than PCs in Hong Kong with household penetration reaching 69 per
cent.
Mobile phone ownership was highest among the 15-24 age group and
25-49-year-old group in all the countries surveyed, although in less
affluent countries like China, Thailand and the Philippines, ownership
was higher among middle-age adults.
The results of the survey implied that mobile phone usage was mainly for
commercial and business purposes, and young people in those countries
did not have the purchasing power yet to own a mobile phone.
Interestingly, only 25 per cent of WAP phone owners accessed the web
through their WAP phones, while a mere seven per cent of all internet
users in Hong Kong accessed the Web through WAP phones.
Despite all the bad press for WAP, 16 per cent of respondents in Hong
Kong said they would be "very likely" or "quite likely" to buy a WAP
phone in the next 12 months.
The survey also found Nokia led the mobile phone market in Asia-Pacific
with a 31 per cent share, followed by Motorola at 12 per cent and
Ericsson at nine per cent.
The WAP phone market is dominated by Nokia followed by Panasonic and
Motorola.
Meijer added the study provided information related to local and
regional trends developing in m-commerce and could give online marketers
a lead in devising and formulating marketing strategies.
The report surveyed eight countries in Asia-Pacific - Australia, China,
Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand.
