Wealth Blog | Inside the wonderful world of China e-tail

I suppose we suspected it already but now it’s official. We now spend more time on machines: PCs, ipads, smart phones and tablets – than we do with our husband or wife.

That’s what Robert Li, executive director of supply chain for Lenovo told the Asian Logistics and Maritime Conference in Wan Chai yesterday, so it must be true. Another of many startling statistics to emerge from this day-long talkfest was that a survey shows 85 per cent of people use their smart phone while doing something else. In Hong Kong that “something else” is usually meandering along the street, tripping everyone else up.

Next scary number is that there are 246 million smart and hand held devices in China, 10 per cent more than the 230 million who have them in the US. Smart phone penetration in China is now at 66 per cent – compared to 53 per cent in America, according to Mark Millar of the Hong Kong Logistics Association. Just where do they get the money?

Keep one, send two back

The topics soon changed to online shopping.

One thing has always put me off doing this for clothes – what happens if the frock doesn’t fit? Justin Zatouroff, global head of logistics for KPMG, said people now buy three sizes – the one they hope will fit, plus one size bigger and smaller, and return the other two. This messy business now has to be factored into the fashion supply chain with arrangements for collecting up the wrong sized items. I predict a lot of one-size items coming into vogue; otherwise it’s a true logistical nightmare. Droves of expensive old world warm bodies with fingers will be needed to sort the mounds of returned garments.