New Delhi, 13th May 2020 – The pilot month-long Spring Virtual Expo 2020, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) on its online marketplace hktdc.com Sourcing, concluded successfully on 30 April. Virtual Expo 2020 drew 1.4 million online buyers from around the world to visit and source. But helping suppliers secure new contacts and orders amid COVID – 19 pandemic disruption.
HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau said more than 22,000 suppliers used the hktdc.com Sourcing platform to reach global buyers effectively last month. Despite a suspension in physical business activities and other restrictions brought by the COVID-19 outbreak. “As more than 2,500 fairs around the world were postponed or canceled due to the pandemic.Tthere is a growing demand for online sourcing. In view of this, the HKTDC will organize the digital show every quarter this year. We believe that the online and physical fairs can complement each other. And create synergy to help SMEs promote their products during these challenging times.”
The HKTDC is organizing a series of webinars from March to August, inviting industry experts and representatives from tech companies. Such as Google and PHD Media to share practical tips for online promotion. Such as search engine optimization (SEO), omnichannel marketing, website design and best practices in taking online orders. Each webinar held to date attracted more than 300 SMEs. A two-to-three-fold increase compared with similar physical seminars in the past.
The Spring Virtual Expo 2020 boosted traffic to hktdc.com Sourcing, with the number of buyer visits jumping 64% from March to close to 1.4 million in April; and brought double-digit growth in the number of inquiries received. The top five origins of inquiries were the United States, Hong Kong, India, the United Kingdom, and Canada, while consumer electronics, toys and games, gifts, and premiums, medical supplies and houseware from top five origins – United States, Hong Kong, India, the United Kingdom, and Canada were the most-enquired product categories. Top enquired products include body thermometers, pedometers, medical/oxygen masks, USB flash drives, and mobile phones.
The HKTDC’s 50 global offices helped reach out to international buyers. And offered professional support by handling about 700 in-depth business matching requests, creating 1,500 business connections. These offices also arranged virtual business matching meetings for the first time. With some 60 sessions enabling suppliers to showcase their latest collections to potential quality buyers.
Mr. Chau said more than 56% of the in-depth business matching enquiries were from Asia, 22% from Europe and 15% from the Americas. “We help global buyers to find suppliers. These include e-tailers Amazon, Shopee (Singapore), Snapdeal (India), HKTV Mall (Hong Kong), as well as traditional chain stores such as the United Arab Emirates’ AI Jaber Gallery (gifts) and Indonesia’s ACE Hardware.”
Mr. Chau attributed the Spring Virtual Expo’s success largely to the trustworthiness of the platform. “The HKTDC’s online marketplace, hktdc.com Sourcing, has won multiple international awards. The site features around 130,000 quality suppliers and two million international buyers. With over 24 million business connections made each year. Suppliers’ information is verified by third-party organizations to enhance buyers’ sourcing confidence. Apart from English, Chinese, the digital platform’s navigation interface is also available in six European languages namely Russian, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Allowing buyers to the source with their preferred language.”
The HKTDC is also launching a “Wellness from Within” promotion this month, featuring a wide range of wellbeing products on hktdc.com Sourcing. Home Fitness, Tech Gadget, Cookware, and Beauty are the weekly themes of the “Wellness from Within” promotion on hktdc.com Sourcing this month, covering a series of quality products for fitness and leisure. Products such as weight training equipment, fitness balls, and yoga mats will be featured in the first week; computer, audio & visual and smart-home tech products in the second week; bread machines, blenders, baking utensils, and dish washers in the third week; and beauty machines, hair treatment, tooth beauty, and cosmetics in the final week.
The HKTDC will now organize a Summer Virtual Expo next month to complement its physical fairs. Also, in July HKTDC will host HKTDC Summer Sourcing Week (July 25 to 28, 2020) at the Hong Kong Convention. And Exhibition Centre to help international buyers replenish their stocks.
About HKTDC:
Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong’s businesses. With more than 50 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland. The HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia, and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organizes international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs. With business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing business insights and information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room.
For more information, please visit www.hktdc.com/aboutus.
