PR86490

HONG KONG, Nov. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Buyer-supplier connections boosted through online exhibition

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) has upgraded its hktdc.com

Sourcing platform[https://sourcing.hktdc.com/ ] in the run-up to Autumn Sourcing

Week | ONLINE[http://asw.hktdc.com/index_en.html], a large-scale online trade

fair that will run from 16 to 27 November 2020. The platform upgrade will help

international traders transition to digital-sourcing models and capture

business opportunities in China and the broader Asian region under the

post-pandemic new normal.

Benjamin Chau, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director, said: "The COVID-19 pandemic

has led to the cancellation or rescheduling of approximately 4,000 physical

exhibitions around the world[1], affecting deals worth an estimated US$296

billion[2]. At the same time, enterprises are seizing the opportunity to

challenge conventional ways of working and develop new sourcing and marketing

channels. The pandemic has changed the sourcing pattern for many companies and

accelerated the transformation of the global supply chain."

Advanced smart sourcing opens up global business opportunities

As a pioneer in digital sourcing, the HKTDC introduced Hong Kong's first

large-scale business-to-business (B2B) marketing platform, hktdc.com Sourcing,

back in 2000. To date, the platform has gathered more than 130,000 suppliers

and 2 million buyers, facilitating 24 million business connections a year with

the support of the HKTDC's 50 global offices.

To help buyers and suppliers worldwide find new partners and secure business

deals amid these challenging times, the HKTDC has completed a significant

upgrade to its hktdc.com Sourcing platform. "Users will notice a refreshed

design as well as easy-to-use features delivering a better smart-sourcing

experience anytime and anywhere. We have employed new technologies such as

artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to facilitate more flexible

and personalised functions, such as customised company profile pages, product

recommendations and keyword suggestions triggered by product image recognition,

providing more efficient business connection services," Mr Chau said.

To further strengthen buyer confidence, the Third-Party Authentication

Service[https://supplier-centre.hktdc.com/supplier-reference_sc.html] allows

suppliers to highlight their credibility. "The new supplier authentication

system classifies companies' reputations and activeness into Gold, Silver and

Bronze categories. A record of companies' participation at HKTDC events and

their last update time are also provided, serving as a reference for buyers as

they seek out the most suitable suppliers," Mr Chau added.

Another new feature is the NewsBites[https://newsbites.hktdc.com/] content

page, which introduces the latest procurement trends and popular products and

pushes notifications via various online media channels to provide buyers with

access to relevant suppliers' pages on the platform.

More trade promotion organisations sign up on the platform

Trade promotion organisations such as Federation of Hong Kong Industries, Japan

External Trade Organization, China Council for the Promotion of International

Trade and other overseas organisations have set up cluster zones on the

platform to promote products from their members as well as advantageous brands

and industries in their respective countries and regions.

Tomohiro Takashima, Director General of JETRO Hong Kong office said the

COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on physical trade activities between Japan

and Hong Kong. Japanese exporters exploring overseas markets have promptly

switched to online marketing, and we were pleased to learn that the HKTDC had

launched an upgraded hktdc.com Sourcing online platform. "Using a customised

online and social-media promotion plan offered by the HKTDC, we have set up a

page on the platform featuring more than 150 Japanese suppliers of houseware,

healthcare and beauty products and more. I am confident that the platform can

effectively connect Japanese businesses with buyers from Hong Kong and other

countries and create business opportunities for all parties concerned. We plan

to scale up the page gradually to feature more suppliers from different

industries," he added.

Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE launches next Monday

Following the success of its Summer Sourcing Weeks | GO ONLINE earlier this

year, which migrated a number of physical exhibitions online, the HKTDC is

holding Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE[http://asw.hktdc.com/index_en.html] next

week under the theme "A New Connected World Beyond the New Normal", bringing

together 2,600 suppliers from 33 countries and regions. The exhibition features

suppliers from 11 industries – including electronics, houseware, lighting,

outdoor lighting, eco tech, gifts & premiums, toys, baby products, stationery,

optical, and watches & clocks – to provide a one-stop sourcing platform where

buyers can restock for the year ahead. Detailed information of the exhibitors

and their products are also uploaded to hktdc.com Sourcing to help buyers

identify new business partners.

The online exhibition features the AI-driven Click2Match business-matching

platform. In addition to bringing buyers and suppliers together, the platform

also supports meeting scheduling, video meetings, live-chat and contact exchange.

Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE will feature more than 20 webinars at the

Intelligence Hub [https://seminar.hktdc.com/registrationsite/seminar-list/view?language=en&eve%20%20ntId=42&systemCode=Web&vmsProjectCode=039&vmsProjectYear=2020 ]

across four main series – SmartTech, Lifestyle, Business Essentials, and Green and

Sustainability – with over 100 leading figures sharing insights into the latest trends.

Omni-channel platform to create more business opportunities

Looking ahead, Mr Chau said the HKTDC will continue to enhance its online

services to create more business opportunities for global buyers and suppliers.

He added that in the future, physical trade fairs and online platforms will

need to integrate and complement each other. "Even when physical exhibitions

resume, the HKTDC will continue to organise regular thematic online sourcing

events catering to the different sourcing cycles of various sectors. This will

create an extended exhibition experience and fully utilise the advantages of O2O."

Websites

hktdc.com Sourcing: http://sourcing.hktdc.com 

Autumn Sourcing Week | ONLINE: http://asw.hktdc.com 

Photo download: https://bit.ly/2GvzAFM 

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC)[https://www.hktdc.com/tc/ ] is a

statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's

trade. With 50 offices[http://aboutus.hktdc.com/tc/#global-network] globally,

including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way

global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international

exhibitions, conferences[https://event.hktdc.com/tc/] and business

missions[https://home.hktdc.com/tc/search?type=all&q=missions] to create

business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized

enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also

provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade

publications[http://www.hktdc.com/mis/pm/tc/HKTDC-Product-Magazines--TC-.html],

research reports[http://research.hktdc.com/tc/] and digital news

channels[http://mediaroom.hktdc.com/tc]. For more information, please visit:

www.hktdc.com/aboutus/tc. Follow us on Weibo: @HKTDC[http://weibo.com/hktdc]

@HKTDCLifestyle[http://weibo.com/hktdclifestyle]

@HKTDCBusiness[http://weibo.com/hktdcbusiness], WeChat @HKTDC, or subscribe us

on Facebook[https://www.facebook.com/hktdc.hk],

Youku[http://i.youku.com/hktdcsimpchi] and

YouTube[http://www.youtube.com/user/hktdctradchi].

[1]

https://www.expodatabase.de/en/articles/125890-coronavirus-leads-to-exhibition-cancellations 

[2]

https://www.ufi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MR-2020-UFI_Global_Impact_20july.pdf 

SOURCE Hong Kong Trade Development Council

Image Attachments Links:

   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=376456 

   Caption: HKTDC Deputy Executive Director, Benjamin Chau