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Date: 26 April 2017

Venue: Hotel ICON

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There’s plenty of talk about the retail industry dying, with flagship stores from brands such as Forever 21 and Abercrombie & Fitch closing down, widely reported slumps in customer spending, as well as emerging technology that is seemingly uprooting the retail industry as we know it.

At Marketing’s Retail Marketing 2017 conference in Hong Kong, James Assersohn, director of retail for Asia Pacific at JLL, admitted the city had been experiencing a difficult time in the past 21 months because of a decline in tourism and economic uncertainty.

“This tourism-dependent city is heavily impacted by dropping numbers of overnight Mainland visitors, which has led to a 15% to 30% decrease in tourist spending,” he explained.

Forever 21及Abercrombie&Fitch等品牌的旗艦店陸續關閉、消費者的消費能力下降、再加上新科技為

零售市場帶來的改變，不禁令部分輿論以為香港的

零售業瀕死。

在《Marketing》主辦的「零售營銷大會2017」上，仲量聯行亞太區零售總監James Assersohn直言，由於旅遊業衰退及經濟不穩定，香港近21個月以

來一直處於困難時期。

他解釋：「香港本來已是個依賴旅遊業的城市，

受內地過夜旅客人數下跌的影響，旅遊消費減少了

15％至30％。」

SUGAR手機品牌總監Elaine Tai亦見內地遊客

消費下滑。她認為，旅客消費減少，最終將成為新常

態。

她說：「內地遊客現時更喜歡去東南亞以外，例

如歐洲等海外地區旅行，而且他們不會再回來。」

慕詩國際亞太區零售總監Cynthia Zhong認為，

香港零售市場不能坐以待斃。零售業銷售額下跌是

一個警號，品牌及企業不能再被動地等遊客來香港

旅遊及消費，而應改進現有的產品、營造新的購物

環境，吸引消費者。「在商店放置藝術品，或與商場

合作推出限時店，或有助創造驚喜元素。」

以Pret A Manger為例，其今年在香港推出「Not Just For Veggies」推廣活動，結果取得「破紀錄的銷

售額」，其新產品深受佛教社區的歡迎。

Pret A Manger亞洲區商務總監李若藍指，產品

及經營模式兩方面的創新是推動增長的重要因素。

李若藍謂：「我們是首個（在飲食業）提倡綠色

概念，並要提升肉食者對素食興趣的品牌。 」

「我們亦有仔細落實構思和概念：從產品券設

計以至營養資料，每一個細節都對簡化消費過程起

重要的作用。」

THE NEW NORMAL

零 售 轉 型 之 道

With the challenges of the past year behind them, retailers in Hong Kong are setting themselves up for new opportunities to connect with and grow value for their consumers. Angel Tang reports from Retail Marketing 2017.

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Also witnessing a slump in Mainland tourist spending, Elaine Tai, brand director of SUGAR phone, believes the drop in tourist spending will eventually become the new normal.

“The Mainland tourists now prefer to go overseas to places beyond Southeast Asia, for example, Europe, and they aren’t coming back,” she said.

It means the city can’t rest on its laurels, according to Cynthia Zhong, retail director for Asia Pacific at Moiselle International.

The drop in retail sales serves as a reminder that brands and companies can no longer wait for tourists to come and spend in Hong Kong, but have to innovate their products and create new environments to excite customers.

“Installing art in stores or collaborating with malls to launch pop-up stores may all help to create elements of surprise,” Zhong says.

In the case of Pret A Manger, for example, the brand’s “Not Just For Veggies” marketing campaign in Hong Kong this year has resulted in “record sales” and a high level of interest from the Buddhist community.

Yumi Li, commercial director for Asia at Pret A Manger, credited innovations in both its product and format for driving the increase.

“We are the first ones [in the F&B industry] to initiate green ideas with the concept of making veggies appeal to meat eaters,” Li said.

“Apart from the concept, we have handled the execution carefully. From product ticket design to dietary information, every detail plays an important role in streamlining the buyer’s journey.”

In another case, Pandora revised its visual strategy with new branding.

The company’s revenue totalled 2.7 billion Euros last year, a 21% increase from 2015. But Pandora’s brand marketing director in Hong Kong, Fion Tin, said it still needed to deliver a stronger message that would resonate with current customers.

“The customers are changing their feminine ethics and codes, and we need a new message that is punchy, contemporary and

另一個例子是Pandora。其推出了新的品牌標

誌，以帶來全新的視覺效果。

事實上，Pandora去年所得的盈利共27億歐元，

較2015年增長了21％。在增長之下，Pandora香港

品牌營銷總監Fion Tin表示品牌仍有需要建立起更

強大、並能引起現有客戶共鳴的訊息。

她說：「顧客對於女性的道德及行為規範觀念正

在改變，我們需要一個強而有力、更能突破框框的新

穎訊息，進而帶品牌成為一個鼓勵參與及交流的平

台。」

全新的推廣活動名為「DO」，現時正推出不同

版本的「DO」廣告，例如「DO bold」以正面的價值

觀啟發女性，並將這些價值觀聯繫至產品。Tin表示，

他們亦會推出限時推廣，以提升與客戶的接觸。

ICLP香港總經理Mary English提醒品牌，要通

過營運系統捕捉交易數據，並勇於在嶄新的零售世

界推出更感性、以社交主導的忠誠度計劃。

她表示：「忠誠度計劃應是一對一、而非一對多

的關係，品牌必須了解顧客想要怎樣的移動服務，以

及他們需要怎樣的互動。」

儘管開發應用程式可能所費不菲，但English建議品牌積極運用移動科技。

「關鍵元素包括：品牌定位、單一顧客交易、顧

客喜好數據及情景策略。例如，他們多久購物一次，

如何令他們在其他時間購物？確保品牌定位能夠吸

引及讓消費者感到驚喜，便可與他們建立互動、甚至

親密的關係，以提升零售業績。」

接受轉變

眼見零售環境已出現、以及未來繼續發生的轉

變，SUGAR的Tai表示，市場推廣人員唯一可做的就

是「以各種方式來接受轉變」。

然而，Prizm Digital聯合創辦人兼總監侯晉熙

提醒，品牌不一定要貿然全面改造品牌。反而，品牌

應先周全考慮消費者行為的最新趨勢，並對品牌的

定位進行深入了解。

他指出，其中一個最新趨勢是市場正從單向零

售變成全方位零售，顧客的旅程變得愈來愈複雜。

他說：「現時不但有無數的方式去改變購物鏈和

more than just a line – it can become a platform to spark engagement and activation,” she said.

Dubbed “DO”, the new campaign is now releasing ads with different variations of the “DO”, for example, “DO bold”, to inspire women with positive values and link values to product points. Tin said it has also invested in pop-ups to spark engagement with customers.

Mary English, general manager for ICLP, reminded brands to capture transactional data through operational systems, and move to a more emotional, socially driven loyalty programme in the brave new world of retail.

“Instead of a one-to-many relationship, loyalty programmes should now be a one-to-one relationship. They have to be conscious of the kind of mobile services the customer wants and the interaction they need,” she said.

While it can be costly to build an app, she suggests brands should stay mobile-active.

“The key components include a proposition, single customer deal, preference data and context strategy. For example, how often do they shop, and how to get them shopping at other times? Make sure the proposition is in line to trigger and surprise the customers, so you can engage in an interactive or even romantic relationship with the customers to enhance retail results.”

Embracing changeSeeing how the retail landscape has already transformed, and will continue to change going forward, SUGAR’s Tai says the only thing marketers can do is to “embrace changes in all ways”.

However, it would be unwise to jump into a complete brand overhaul without due consideration of the latest trends in consumer behaviour, and a firm look at how the brand is positioned, warned Jeffrey Hau, Prizm Digital’s co-founder and director.

One of the latest trends he identified is the increasing complexity of the customer journey as we head from one-way retailing to omni-channel retailing.

“Not only are there endless ways to alter

The mainland tourists now prefer to go overseas to places beyond Southeast Asia, for example Europe, and they aren’t coming back.內地遊客現時更喜歡去東南亞以外， 例如歐洲等海外地區旅行，而且他們不會再回來。

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reviews in physical stores to bring online word of mouth into the physical world. Hotels.com, for example, lets visitors know how many people are reading the exact same page. When you see a crowded restaurant, you tend to be more interested in it, but that trick also works the other way around.”

Ztore’s chief operation officer Jack Leung suggested that “online stores can also fill the information gap at the store level”.

“For example, my wife’s favourite store would cleverly teach its customers how to tie a silk tie online.”

The key is to consolidate online and offline retailing, as well as redefine their respective roles.

For physical stores, it is all about the experience, Carson McKelvey, managing partner of Tofugear, told the audience.

“People shop at different stores in different ways even though the context is all the same,” he said.

“The purchasing decision is heavily based on the experience, so even if you can’t send customers to Thailand for a great vacation, maybe you can rethink ways or employ new technologies to create sizzling experiences at your offline stores.”

Tofugear, for example, uses smartphones as a digital identifier to let front-end staff draw insights from their AI’s predictive analysis, and find out which products their customers are interested in before they even enter the shop.

“Marketers can start brainstorming by identifying in-store disappointments, then identify suitable touch-points to tackle the problem,” he explained, adding it’s important to establish criteria for success before the team can start planning where the brand is going.

the purchase chain and disrupt customers’ buying journey, but they are also asking for a customised, personalised path,” he said.

“You have to identify all the right channels if you want to let customers experience the brand in a unified way.”

He suggested companies leverage and keep track of all the data footprints they can now access when they formulate new strategies.

“You can already collect so much information. For example, how much time is the consumer spending on certain websites, or their profiles and interests, through live chat alone,” he said.

“With this data, it is possible to adjust the current marketing plan or reallocate online and offline budgets.”

Another trend he identified was the rise of e-commerce, which has forced retailers to adapt to the changes demanded by consumers.

While brick and mortar stores often position online stores as their competitors, SUGAR’s Tai drew reference from Amazon, which has been dabbling in physical retail since 2015, to prove that retail stores and online technologies actually complement each other.

Prizm’s Hau further cited nike.com in China as an example to show how online stores can solve inventory problems in physical stores.

“While limited space for storage or product displays make it difficult to keep all the stock keeping unit in retail stores, companies can make use of the two channels, and display niche products or those on clearance sale online, so you need not to have the same stock in every store,” he said.

“Or, brands can show customers’ online

消費者的購買行為，他們也要求一個定制的個人化途

徑。」

「如果想讓顧客得到一致的品牌體驗，必須找

出所有正確的渠道。」

侯晉熙建議，企業製定新策略時，應善用並追蹤

自己可獲取的所有數據足跡。「企業現時可收集到

相當多的訊息，例如消費者在某些網站上花了多少

時間，或者單靠網上聊天了解他們的個人資料及興

趣。」

「通過這些數據，你可以調整當前的市場推廣

計劃，或重新分配線上及線下的預算。」

他指出，另一個趨勢是電子商務的興起。這迫使

零售商迎合消費者的需求，作出轉變。

雖然實體店經常視網上商店為競爭對手，但

SUGAR的Tai以自2015年起開始經營實體零售業務

的亞馬遜為例，證明零售商店與網上技術實際上是

相輔相成的。

侯晉熙亦進一步引用nike.com在中國的業務，

以顯示網上商店可解決實體店的庫存問題。

他說：「由於儲存或產品展示空間有限，零售商

店難以保留所有存貨；企業可以雙軌並行，並在網上

展示小眾或清貨促銷產品，這樣便無需在每家商店

存放相同的貨品。」

「品牌亦可以在實體店顯示網上顧客評價，將網

上口碑帶到現實世界，例如hotels.com讓訪客知道

有多少人正瀏覽相同的頁面。當你看到一家餐廳人

頭湧湧，通常會對它更感興趣，這個伎倆也可應用到

網上的形銷策略。」

Ztore營運總裁梁子琦表示，網上商店亦可填補

商店層面的資訊差距。「例如我太太最喜歡的商店會

在網上教曉顧客如何打絲質領帶。」

關鍵在於要結合在線與離線零售，並重新定義

兩者各自的角色。

Tofugear執行合夥人Carson McKelvey向與會

者表示，實體店的一切在於體驗。

他說：「儘管實體店情景差不多，但人們仍會以

不同的方式在不同店中購物。」

「購買決定很大程度上建基於體驗。你未必要

將顧客送到泰國，為他準備一個美好的假期，但你可

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Rita Li, sales and marketing director for Octopus Cards, also sees opportunities in introducing mobile technology to physical stores in Hong Kong – in this case, mobile payment specifically.

“Over the years, we have encouraged retail usage of Octopus Cards, and retail usage has officially surpassed transit use,” she explained.

“E-payment is a new area where we are investing a lot of our resources, and we’re aiming high – developing a mobile wallet platform for Hong Kong.”

Strategies for online and offline: is there a difference?As for online stores, Ztore’s Leung said the e-tailer’s strategies were practically no different from those you might employ when establishing a physical store.

“While we would classify regular stores into different categories, online stores are just as complicated. Not only should we formulate different strategies for different online store types, but we should stop making wrong assumptions about consumers as well.”

One of which is to assume online shoppers use credit cards frequently, he pointed out.

“By offering cash on delivery (COD), Ztore has experienced very promising figures: the time to activate a customer has been shortened by 43%. Twenty two per cent of our customers will choose COD as their payment method, and 70% of first purchase customers will choose COD.”

Adding the word “menu” on its menu button on the home page has also driven a 14% increase in traffic to category pages, as well as a 9% surge in revenue.

“Don’t make too many assumptions,” he advised. “Details make the difference.”

Zalora Group’s head of brand acquisition, Giovanni Maria Musillo, reminded companies to localise their online stores in every market.

“From platforms, interfaces, languages to payment providers, everything has to be tailor-made so buying online is convenient for customers,” he said.

Benoit Lavaud, global head of digital for Bluebell, added that companies have to integrate the online and offline teams, and align them with the same ambitions and vocabularies.

“Very often the two teams seem to be competing against each other, but they should not be,” he said.

“Should sales benefit from online sales? This is a key conflict to be solved. Executives should talk to the marketing and technology people and make sure they have the same KPIs.”

He said executives should also bear in mind that new changes are less about disrupting the current retailing model, and more about reducing friction.

“From sales to operations to enhancing the customer relationship management programme, it’s about how to be a bit more with them everyday,” he said.

以構思新的方法，或採用新技術，在商店中創造令人

興奮的體驗。」

例如，Tofugear使用智能手機作為數碼標籤，讓

前線員工能夠透過人工智能預測分析，在顧客進入

商店前了解他們感興趣的產品。

他解釋：「市場推廣人員可通過識別顧客在店內

未能滿足的需求來開始進行構思，然後找出合適的

接觸點來解決問題。」他補充，團隊必須在開始計劃

品牌發展方向前，確立成功的指標。

八達通控股有限公司營業及市務總監李玉兒亦

看到在香港實體店引入移動技術的機遇，尤其是手

機付款方面。

她解釋說：「多年來，我們一直推廣八達通卡在

零售方面的應用，現時零售應用已正式超越了交通

應用。」

「電子支付現時是我們投入大量資源發展的新

領域，我們有遠大的目標，就是為香港開發一個移動

錢包平台。」

在線與離線策略，當中是否有區別？

對於網上商店，Ztore的梁子琦表示，電子零售商所

採取的策略，與建立實體商店時所採用的，基本上沒

有分別。

「我們會將普通商店分為不同的類別，網上商

店亦同樣複雜。我們不僅要為不同類型的網上商

店制定不同的策略，亦要停止對消費者作出錯誤的

假設。」

他指出，其中之一是假設網上消費者經常使用

信用卡。

「通過提供貨到付款（COD）服務，Ztore錄得相

當可觀的數字：顧客購物的時間縮短了43％，22％的

顧客會選擇COD付款方式，70％的首次顧客將選擇

COD。」在其網站主頁菜單按鈕上添加「菜單」一詞，亦

有助刺激分類頁面的流量增加了14％，收入得到9％增長。

他建議：「不要做太多的假設，細節很重要。」

Zalora集團品牌採購負責人Giovanni Maria Musillo提醒企業，要在每個市場建立本地化的網上

商店。

他說：「從平台、界面、語言到付款方式，一切都

必須度身訂造，使顧客在網上購物變得方便。」

Bluebell全球數碼主管Benoit Lavaud補充，企

業必須整合在線與離線團隊，使兩個團隊擁有一致

的目標與語言。

他說：「兩支團隊經常看似在互相競爭，但他們

不應是這樣。」

「銷售人員能否受惠於網上銷售？這是一個需

要解決的主要矛盾。高級管理層應與市場推廣及技術

人員交流，並確保他們設定相同的關鍵績效指標。」

他表示，高級管理層亦應緊記，新變化的重點不

在於打破目前的零售模式，而是在於減少障礙。

他說：「從銷售到營運、以至加強客戶關係管

理計劃，關鍵在於如何進一步，與消費者更加接

近。」