Customers

We are committed to protecting the privacy of our customers. Our Data Management and Protection Policy (Customer Data) covers our operations in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. This policy provides guidance on the handling of customer data throughout the data life cycle and will be updated from time to time to ensure compliance with the relevant laws and regulations.

Under this policy, our employees are required to comply with internal guidelines covering the collection, processing, transfer, retention and disposal of customers’ personal data. We also include data protection obligations in contracts with third-party data processors.

We obtain valuable feedback from customers visiting our major retail properties through annual customer surveys and mystery shopper programmes.

We conducted three types of marketing research in 2021.

This research was conducted at Taikoo Li Sanlitun and Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu between August 2020 and June 2021. We distributed surveys on the social media accounts of these two portfolios to gauge shopper satisfaction in nine areas, which included amenities, guide systems and the overall shopping environment among others. The bulk of the survey participants were followers of our official social media accounts and members of our customer loyalty programmes.

Altogether, 5,600 surveys were completed across the two portfolios. Overall satisfaction was high, with Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu and Taikoo Li Sanlitun gaining an aggregate score of 8.58 and 8.36 out of 10 respectively. Moving forward, the survey results will be analysed to identify areas for improvement at both portfolios and target evolving customer needs. This will ensure that our customers are satisfied and that we remain competitive.

Our annual Mystery Shopper Programme (“MSP”) is usually conducted twice a year. This year’s MSP evaluated the performance of customer service officers (“CSOs”) in our five Chinese Mainland malls, identifying their strengths and weaknesses and providing actionable recommendations for better customer service and experience. Evaluations were based on numerous factors, including CSO attire, handling of enquiries and overall satisfaction. The results were presented as scores in the different evaluation areas and paired with written reports from the mystery shoppers.

In 2021, the results of the MSP showed an overall improvement of 22.8% over our first MSP and, for the first time, all malls in the programme scored above 80%. These results are encouraging and will allow us to further calibrate CSO training programmes to ensure that the long-term sustainable development of our malls continually enhances the customer experience.

As usual, this year’s programme was conducted at all eight Swire Properties malls¹¹ in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. The research programme consisted of two components: a quantitative interview and a qualitative online brand study. The aim was to understand customer needs at individual malls to create actionable marketing and leasing insights. Shoppers from competing malls were also interviewed, establishing comparisons with our performance.

Participants included real mall shoppers, both locals and expatriates, who made a purchase from one of our malls or our competitors’ malls during the survey period. In 2021, nearly 6,600 interviews and 2,500 online brand surveys were completed. The findings from this research will help us determine the performance of malls and provide actionable insights for both marketing and leasing teams.

We utilise a virtual comment box at several of our properties in Hong Kong. The comment box displays a series of QR code stickers that invite visitors to provide feedback and suggestions. The virtual comment box then gathers these suggestions, allowing us to act immediately on such issues as heating, air-conditioning and turnstile malfunctions.

Our hotels collect guest feedback through a custom-made mobile application to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction with our hotel facilities and services.

EAST Hong Kong has established a hotel guest survey platform which asks hotel guests to answer short questions when they sign into the hotel’s wireless internet service. This survey provides valuable data that will help us continuously improve our hotel guest experience.