Customer-Centricity Becoming More Important in Times of Adversity

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 9 July 2020 - Creatinga seamless, consistent customer experience across physical & digital spaceis more important than ever as online shopping prevails. Recognising localorganisations which demonstrate excellence in consumer care, the9^thGS1 Hong Kong's"Consumer Caring Scheme" awarded 93 local enterprises for deliveringtheir service promise. A total of 46 companies won the "Consumer Caring 5years+" and "5 years" Award, showing their commitment to consumer care for 5years or more in a row.

Consumers' online spending has become all time hightoday. As companies are placing greater emphasis in expanding theiromni-channel offerings, they are also striving to meet or even exceed theirservice promise for convenience, value and experience. According to the survey report"Tapping Into Smart Retail" jointly published by GS1 HK and KPMG, 45 percent ofC-level executives rank strengthening the customer journey as the top priority,showing that businesses are betting on better user experience as a way toretain customers, especially those from online, who are price sensitive andhave an ever-increasing choice of e-commerce providers.

"Asmore consumers are shopping across multiple channels, commerce can meaneverything from a store, a smart kiosk, a website to an app, which has made itmore difficult for companies to maintain consistency and fulfilling customers'demands. Only by continuous improvement in operation efficiency and fulfillingcommitment by delivering excellent services, can a company differentiate itselffrom today's cut-throat business environment." said Anna Lin, Chief Executiveof GS1 Hong Kong.

ConsumerCaring Companies are those which can keep their pledge to offering the finest customerjourney. Judged based on seven core consumer caring values, including consumercare, sincerity, commitment, product quality and safety assurance, servicequality, understanding consumer behaviours and caring for employees, thewinners are evaluated through on-site visits and consumer survey, in accordanceto the internationally-acclaimed scorecard based on the Efficient ConsumerResponse (ECR). This year's winners have all showed the effective use ofinternational standards, information technology, and the optimisation of operationmanagement to improve business processes to enhance consumersatisfaction. (Please refer to theAppendix for details)

"Congratulationsto the winners who have successfully uphold the motto of 'consumers first',they are all role models of the industries in driving product and serviceenhancement, bringing benefits to both brands and consumers," said Anna. "Nomatter what channels your business use to engage customers, exceptional customerexperience always champions in the end."

For details, please refer to our website: https://www.gs1hk.org/industry-recognition/consumer-caring-scheme/overview.

Appendix

Listof recognised companies of Consumer Caring Scheme 2019

(in alphabetical order by brand or company name)

About GS1 Hong Kong

Foundedby the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce in 1989, GS1 Hong Kong is thelocal chapter of GS1®, a not-for-profit, standards organisation that developsand drives adoption of easy-to-implement global standards for business touniquely identify, accurately capture and automatically share vital informationabout products, locations and assets. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, GS1has over 110 national chapters in 150 countries.

GS1Hong Kong's mission is to empower business to grow and to improve efficiency,safety, authenticity and sustainability across multiple sectors and facilitatescommerce connectivity through the provision of a full spectrum of platforms,solutions and services based on our global standards. We provide a trustedfoundation for accurate, sharable, searchable and linkable data. Our EPCstandard lays the foundation for IoT, powering a range of IoT-based servicesand applications. We are helping industry to meet the challenges ofomni-channel commerce and create a seamless customer experience. By engagingwith communities of trading partners, industry organisations, government, andtechnology providers, we are fostering a collaborative ecosystem and aiming for"Smarter Business, Better Life".

Currently,GS1 Hong Kong has around 8,000 corporate members covering close to 20industries including retail consumer goods, food and food services, healthcare,apparel, logistics as well as information and technology.

Formore information about GS1 Hong Kong, please visit www.gs1hk.org.