GOVERNMENT

AI Adoption in Retail and Sustainability Redefine Consumer Spending Habits across Hong Kong and the GBA

October 27, 2025

Businesses must tailor strategies to meet evolving consumer preferences

HONG KONG, Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — While Chinese Mainland consumers living within the Greater Bay Area (GBA) exhibit higher confidence in artificial intelligence (AI) tools and are more exposed to AI-driven shopping experiences, Hong Kong consumers tend to be more reserved, underscoring the importance of tailoring AI strategies to local consumer behaviours and preferences, according to a joint survey by KPMG China and GS1 Hong Kong.

The eighth edition of the study, titled “Beyond Retail in the Age of AI“, explores how AI is being leveraged in the retail sector. Conducted in August 2025, the study, carried out across Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland GBA cities^[1], polled over 1,500 consumers to understand their perceptions and interactions with AI-driven retail innovations, as well as how these technologies are reshaping the industry landscape. Additionally, the research included interviews with senior C-suite executives from leading retailers and brands to analyse the key challenges and opportunities posed by AI in the retail sector.

The retail landscape is shifting from a transactional model to an experiential one, driven by evolving consumer preferences. Both GBA and Hong Kong shoppers are increasingly embracing AI-powered experiences. In Hong Kong, 62% of consumers express satisfaction with gamified shopping, while 70% appreciate interactive product displays—both contributing to a more immersive and engaging retail journey. This shift is underscored by the declining popularity of live streaming and social commerce, which saw strong momentum in 2024 but have since lost traction in 2025. In response, brands are integrating innovative experiential elements into their stores by incorporating cafes and dedicated experience zones to enhance the shopping experience and foster a deeper connection with customers.

Anson Bailey, Head of Consumer & Retail, Asia Pacific, KPMG China, says: “AI holds the potential to transform the retail industry by enabling personalised shopping experiences and optimising supply chains. These advancements will drive the speed of change and deliver highly personalised customer experiences. AI innovations are reshaping the retail ecosystem, transforming supply chain management, customer experiences, and marketing strategies. To harness AI’s full potential, retailers must adopt a strategic AI roadmap to scale effectively, overcome challenges, and unlock new growth opportunities, or get left behind.”

The integration of AI and human touch plays a crucial role in meeting both functional and emotional consumer needs. While AI enhances convenience and efficiency, such as through tools like photo search and facial-recognition checkout, it falls short for the time being in addressing the emotional aspects of shopping. This is particularly evident in Hong Kong, where trust in AI is significantly lower compared to the GBA (59%) and 51% of GBA consumers are satisfied with chatbot experiences compared to 39% of Hong Kong consumers. Friendly and knowledgeable staff can foster relationships with customers, providing the emotional connection that AI alone cannot achieve. However, retailers must also make sure that their workforce is AI-ready.

Alice Yip, Partner, Head of Consumer & Retail, Hong Kong SAR, KPMG China, says: “The strategic importance of AI cannot be overstated. By overcoming key barriers such as trust, privacy concerns, and system compatibility, and leveraging data-driven insights with thoughtful execution, businesses can unlock AI’s full potential. This positions them for sustainable growth by enabling smarter decision-making, enhancing operational efficiency, and driving long-term success in an increasingly competitive retail landscape.”

Consumers in the GBA and Hong Kong are increasingly demanding sustainable practices from retailers, with a strong emphasis on transparency in product information and commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives—such as ethical sourcing, fair labour standards, and carbon impact disclosure on product labels. Consumer behaviour towards sustainability has also shifted over the years. In 2022, 81% of GBA consumers and 69% of Hong Kong consumers sought incentives for making sustainable purchases. More recently, 42% of GBA consumers and 33% of Hong Kong consumers have indicated they are willing to pay up to 10% more for sustainable products.

Sustainability is reshaping the retail sector, prompting brands to adopt innovative strategies such as repurposing materials, developing eco-friendly alternatives and embracing circular economy models to meet evolving expectations and drive meaningful transformation. This mindset is particularly driven by the next generation of consumers.

Anna Lin, Chief Executive, GS1 Hong Kong, says: “Driven by consumer expectations and emerging global regulations, product information transparency and traceability have become business imperatives. Businesses can leverage QR codes with global standards (Digital Link^[2]) to ‘tell the product’s story’, including its journey from source, product information, certifications, ESG credentials, recycling locations, and even links to e-shops, delivering consumers a seamless and trustworthy experience.”

With rising health consciousness and an aging population, the principle of “health is wealth” is increasingly shaping consumer behaviour in both the GBA and Hong Kong. Health-focused shopping has become a priority, particularly among GBA consumers, with 42% willing to spend more on health and wellness products. In Hong Kong, while shoppers tend to be more price-conscious, 25% still plan to increase their spending on wellness items.

Retail dynamics are shifting, with cross-border spending gaining traction among Hong Kong consumers, driven not only by cost savings but also by the pursuit of unique experiences, value, and convenience. Retailers must adapt their strategies to meet these evolving consumer priorities, whether by enriching local shopping experiences, embracing digital innovation, or committing to environmentally and socially responsible practices. In the new AI era, retailers that do not embrace change risk being left behind.

Please download the full report from the following link (English Version only):

https://www.gs1hk.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/Beyond%20Retail%20in%20the%20Age%20of%20AI_271025.pdf

^[1] Including respondents from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, Huizhou, Dongguan, and Zhongshan.

^[2] GS1 Digital Link is the standardised method for encoding product identifiers like barcode (GTIN), location number (GLN), along with batch numbers, serial numbers, expiry dates, etc, into a web URL, providing access to a wealth of product information through data carriers like QR codes that can be simply scanned by smartphones.

About KPMG

KPMG in China has offices located in 31 cities with over 14, 000 partners and staff, in Beijing, Changchun, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Dongguan, Foshan, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hefei, Jinan, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Wuhan, Wuxi, Xiamen, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR. It started operations in Hong Kong in 1945. In 1992, KPMG became the first international accounting network to be granted a joint venture licence in the Chinese Mainland. In 2012, KPMG became the first among the “Big Four” in the Chinese Mainland to convert from a joint venture to a special general partnership.

KPMG is a global organisation of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. KPMG is the brand under which the member firms of KPMG International Limited (“KPMG International”) operate and provide professional services. “KPMG” is used to refer to individual member firms within the KPMG organisation or to one or more member firms collectively.

KPMG firms operate in 142 countries and territories with more than 275,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. Each KPMG member firm is responsible for its own obligations and liabilities.

Celebrating 80 years in Hong Kong

In 2025, KPMG marks “80 Years of Trust” in Hong Kong. Established in 1945, we were the first international accounting organisation to set up operations in the city. Over the past eight decades, we have woven ourselves into the fabric of Hong Kong, working closely with the government, regulators, and the business community to help establish Hong Kong as one of the world’s leading business and financial centres. This close collaboration has enabled us to build lasting trust with our clients and the local community – a core value celebrated in our anniversary theme: “80 Years of Trust”.

About GS1 Hong Kong

Founded by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce in 1989, GS1 Hong Kong is the local chapter of GS1^®. GS1 Hong Kong’s mission is to empower businesses of their digital transformation, improve supply chain visibility and efficiency, ensure product authenticity, facilitate commerce connectivity and enable sustainable value chain through the provision of global supply chain standards (including GTIN & barcodes), and a full spectrum of platforms, solutions and services.

GS1 Hong Kong currently supports close to 8,000 corporate members from 20 sectors including retail & consumer packaged goods, food & beverage and food services, healthcare, apparel & footwear, logistics & ICT. By working closely with communities of trading partners, industry organisations, government, and technology providers, we can foster a collaborative ecosystem, paving the way for “Go Digital, Go Green”.

As a non-profit organization, GS1 develops and drives global adoption of supply chain standards. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, GS1 has member organisations in over 120 countries.

Website：www.gs1hk.org