The real deals
Trade Development Council takes its vetted vendor list online to ensure that buyers find the right suppliers
Buyers from across the world flock to the 30-plus fairs organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) every year. They come for the massive choice they have to source from.
And, just as important, they come because they know that what they will be sourcing has been verified and certified to have come from reputable companies - companies buyers can depend on.
The TDC's new online marketplace, www.hktdc.com, intends to offer buyers that same level of confidence.
'In making improvements to our online marketplace, we focused on how best to help buyers differentiate one supplier from the next,' said Clare Wong, director of publications and e-commerce at the HKTDC.
'The fact that we have met these suppliers and shaken their hands should give buyers using our online service the confidence that these companies are credible and trustworthy.'
It is more than just meeting the suppliers, however. Buyers can rest assured that they have made the right choice of supplier, since each one has been vetted before being added to the TDC site.
The TDC has also brought in independent third-party authentication, partnering with Dun and Bradstreet, the world's leading source of commercial information and company insight.
Dun and Bradstreet provide a checked authentication service to verify suppliers' company information, including company details, business registration documents and contact information.
Alongside this, details on suppliers' US import and Hong Kong and Chinese mainland export figures are available via data provided by PIERS, Ge-TS and Goodwill China.
Checks on security certificates, product certificates, in-house laboratory management and accreditation details, and a host of other supporting documents, are all independently verified by Intertek.
If you want authenticated, verified suppliers, there is no place better than www.hktdc.com to begin your search for quality products.