Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Vouchers whet expo appetites

Vouchers whet expo appetites

The five-day Food Expo ended yesterday on a high note with more than 430,000 people visiting - a 16 percent increase over last year - and exhibitors seeing business go up by at least 30 percent mainly due to the consumption voucher disbursed last Sunday.
Although organizer Hong Kong Trade Development Council stayed with the "no-tasting" rule because of Covid, attendance at the five-day expo rose 16 percent from the 370,000 seen last year.

"The bustling fairground, despite restrictions such as no sampling for food and drinks, shows that people have a strong appetite for shopping. The timing of the second phase of the consumption voucher scheme certainly boosted spending," said the council's deputy executive director, Sophia Chong Suk-fan.

Almost 90 percent of customers spent a portion of their consumption vouchers when purchasing products, according to a survey done by the organizer.

Out of 1,000 visitors interviewed, half had spent HK$1,000 or more, with average spending coming in at HK$1,400.

The expo featured over 1,000 exhibitors, including global vendors from the mainland, Indonesia and Aomori prefecture in Japan. Luxury seafood such as abalone were particularly popular.

Many visitors had only praise for the fact that the consumption vouchers came at "just the right time" for them.

A man who went shopping on the last day of expo said his shopping cart was full, and he had entered the expo again before it closed at 6pm to spend the HK$400 left on his voucher.

Another man said he goes to the Food Expo every year for the discounted prices, and he was particularly interested in deals such as a HK$1 hotpot.

Vendors were pleased with this year's business as well, though some said sales would be even higher if customers could taste their products.

Many vendors used innovative marketing strategies such as the use of aroma and sound to attract customers instead.Others sold small portions of food at low prices so customers could try a bite at home and return to purchase more after.

A vendor said that they restocked their products several times a day and sales rose by 30 percent compared to last year's, as customers had grown accustomed to the pandemic and were less afraid of crowded conventions.

An exhibitor said that many customers spent 20 percent more than expected and that consumption vouchers were a large motivator, making up roughly 30 to 40 percent of their sales.

Organizers also cited the opening of the Exhibition Centre MTR station in May as a blessing, as the convenience of traveling to the center encouraged visitors to visit and allowed dedicated customers to enter the venue repeatedly.

The five-day Food Expo from August 11 to 15 ran concurrently with the Home Delights Expo and the Beauty and Wellness Expo, as well as the Hong Kong International Tea Fair from August 11 to 13.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×