Entrepreneur’s mission to tempt online shoppers back into malls
Hong Kong-raised, US-educated Jason Chau describes trials and tribulations of bringing a new product and service to the mainland
The e-commerce boom in mainland Chinese has propelled a new way of life in which customers can shop for just about anything at their fingertips, but it is an innovation also poses a threat to traditional retail stories. Jason Chau, 33, a Hong Kong entrepreneur who relocated to Beijing two years ago with as an app developer and startup entrepreneur, aims to bring online shoppers back to the high street and rediscover the pleasures of real window shopping.
His app “Yue Guang”, or “”Joyful shopping”, uses satellite navigation and Bluetooth technology to track and record users’ shopping habits, such as which malls and stores they visit, how long they stay there and how much they spend. The information is shared with retail clients and in return shoppers can collect points from the stores for gifts and discounts. The app now has about 100,000 users. He spoke to Catherine Wong.
What motivated you to design the app and start the business?
We want people to enjoy the physical experience of shopping. The things that people buy from [internet site] Taobao are generally at a lower price point, but if you want to buy clothes from Zara or H&M, you still go to the physical shops to try them on. We hope that with our app we can make a traditional shopping experience more fun.
Why did you choose to start in Beijing instead of staying in Hong Kong?