E-commerce a sign of the times
Updated: 2015-07-04 08:34
By Agnes lu in Hong Kong(HK Edition)
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Who says e-commerce cannot survive in Hong Kong? The city's largest mobile transaction-based solutions developer sees e-commerce, or mobile commerce, as just the beginning.
SINO Dynamic Solutions Ltd, which has been based in the SAR since 2010, says Hong Kong's e-commerce business opportunities lie in the basic necessities of life - from food to medical insurance.
"When companies come to us, they always want to know how to make their sales more accessible. We received no orders via mobile phones before, but now app orders are in the majority," said Alex Kong, the company's chief executive officer.
One of the award-winning company's latest signature projects is helping a local flower shop develop its own one-stop flowers-and-gifts ordering app. Launched early this year, the mobile app, GAYA Flores, has drawn HK$4 million in investments in less than three months.
Another popular e-commerce project is a food-ordering app called Hungry King. Covering more than 1,500 food outlets from Central to Kwun Tong, the location-based app offers instant orders for end-users, while providing back-end support for outlets to manage inventory and update menus as well.
Hungry King now has more than 3,000 orders daily, and has attracted HK$10 million in funding within a year.
Larger projects range from property management, healthcare provision and retail, to hotels, hospitality, ticketing and insurance businesses. All users, for instance, can make insurance purchases directly with an app, while salespeople help them screen the required verification documents via mobile devices and upload them to the insurance company.
In Kong's view, what the market lacks at the moment is the refinement of enterprise mobile solutions with a mature transaction system. "The business requires an app company to provide a connected and coordinated process."
"This means from the smooth end-user experience to enterprises' back-end system, resource planning system, accounting system, operation system and even settlement in the banks," he said.
However, what SINO Dynamic is building - based on its e-commerce concept on daily necessities - could be more than a click on the app to facilitate life in one city.
One of the major projects to come on stream this year is a payment kiosk that facilitates ticket purchasing and fee payment between Hong Kong and the mainland.
Hong Kong people with properties or businesses on the mainland can pay their water, electricity or phone bills through the machine with bank cards or even metro cards of a particular city, and vice versa.
What's more, the machine can print receipts or invoices for tax declaration. It also allows purchasing of movie or concert tickets to be shown in the two regions.
There will also be a supporting mobile app with the kiosk - users can either pay through the machine or the app, and print the invoice from the machine later.
"Hong Kong and the mainland are highly connected now. We have the Stock Connect, but why can't we have transactions and payments linked on life arrangements?" Kong said.
Another interesting project is an auto-gate that can be installed in theaters or exhibition halls. Users can simply buy the tickets on mobile apps and then scan the QR (Quick Response) code on the auto-gate to enter the venue.
Other app projects about to hit the market include a clinical management system that allows users to make clinic reservations in advance on the app and even make pharmaceutical purchases. It can also be connected with wearable devices to detect the heart rate and send out alerts if it spots any health problem.
"Mobile payment will definitely be the future trend," Kong said. "Everything is about being convenient, and it will continue to infiltrate our daily lives."
Although SINO Dynamic has multiple creative e-commerce ideas that can be turned into reality, the lack of talents in Hong Kong may be a drawback, which stops them from further expansion. The company has so far set up two new offices on the mainland seeking more developers.
"Hong Kong's slow population growth, as well as the traditional mindset among local parents, is stalling our hunt for more technology talents," Kong said.
agnes@chinadailyhk.com
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The lack of technology talents in Hong Kong may be a drawback, which stops the e-commerce industry from further expansion. Experts say Hong Kong's slow population growth, as well as the traditional mindset among local parents, is stalling the industry's hunt for more talents. Jerome Favre / Bloomberg |
(HK Edition 07/04/2015 page7)