It takes a leap of faith, but once Hongkongers cross that 'trust threshold' Katie McGregor is convinced grocery shopping will never be the same again.
Inspired by the popular New York online grocer, Fresh Direct, which delivers anything one could expect to find in a supermarket straight to customers' doorsteps, McGregor hopes her company, Epicure Direct, which she launched in September, can fill the same niche in Hong Kong.
'Online shopping is convenient for both sides: there are lower overheads so customers can get better value ... and people can shop at any time without queuing,' says McGregor. Selling grass-fed strip loin for HK$188 per kilogram - a comparable item at supermarkets would cost about HK$300 per kilogram - she's winning over a steady stream of converts.
Online retailer Oisix, founded in Japan in 2000, began offering its services to Hong Kong in February last year. Oisix is Japan's largest online retailer, with more than 450,000 registered customers, and its sales team believe the Hong Kong market has the potential for an equally large customer base.
'Grocery shopping is a chore, and we saw a need in other Asian countries, where people work long hours, for the convenience of online shopping,' says Max Huang Ching-che, the company's Hong Kong representative.
The Hong Kong market comes with its own set of hurdles. 'In Japan, many housewives cook at home and restaurants are quite expensive, but here in Hong Kong, with so much affordable eating and the ease of getting around the city, people don't buy large amounts of groceries except for special occasions,' Huang says.
'There is also fear of 'ordering blind' or from a photograph,' adds Bradley White, the founder of South Stream Seafoods, which delivers wild-caught sustainable fish from Australia and New Zealand straight from the plane to homes. 'Hongkongers like to go down to the wet markets and pick the exact fish they want.'
