NEW HKTDC URL

Super Site, Rave Reviews

The new, revised trusted online marketplace draws glowing reviews from traders aROUND the globe

Resounding applause has greeted the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's (HKTDC) redesigned website, which comes with a new, easy-to-remember www.hktdc.com URL to connect quality suppliers and serious buyers the world over.

Some 11,000 users worldwide have responded positively to the revitalised online marketplace since its mid-April preview, according to a comprehensive survey conducted by the HKTDC.

About 97% of buyers and 95% of suppliers feel www.hktdc.com is a trusted online marketplace where they are able to source with confidence, while a whopping 92% of buyers rate its design and layout as very good or good.

"The new website has a cleaner layout and is easier to use, while its search engine makes searching even easier," a Canadian buyer remarks. "And the supplier references make it more convenient for us to work with new suppliers."

His sentiment is shared by many peers. "I like the way products are being categorised with pictures, and the changing right-hand corner advising about the different forthcoming fairs," says one Malaysian buyer.

Other traders point to the credibility of the online marketplace. "I believe it is the only reputable sourcing site, made easy for Asian manufacturers," an Australian buyer enthuses. "Very good! Keep up the good work!"

Suppliers are equally impressed. "www.hktdc.com is a great site to not only source any product you are looking for, but it is also a great place to network with other buyers," maintains an American supplier. "I have always been able to locate a good reliable source for any product that I was looking for on www.hktdc.com."

Other traders also give it the thumbs up. "Good categorisation, easy searching," a Hong Kong supplier says of the website, which is slated for official launch in mid-2008.

The revamped website is now even more conducive to effective and efficient sourcing thanks to a host of enhanced functions and features, which include:

• trusted online sourcing - credible suppliers are verified by leading business information provider Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), while other references include PIERS' US import data, Ge-TS HK export data, Goodwill China mainland export data and supplier certifications
• quality suppliers - there are thousands of them from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and major world manufacturing centres who exhibit in the HKTDC's 34 world-class trade fairs and advertise in its 15 product magazines and at www.hktdc.com
• precise product search - search by keyword, browse through more than 4,500 well-defined product categories, review product photos and detailed descriptions and company information for each product, or refine your search by multiple criteria such as products verified by third-party authentication companies, or HKTDC exhibitors, or suppliers from a specific region or in a particular business

The www.hktdc.com online marketplace also features the very latest information about the HKTDC's Hong Kong trade fairs, as well as the world's major economies and emerging markets.

In addition, the enhanced search engine boasts such user-friendly and precise refinement capabilities as:

• dynamic suggested keyword with total number of results
• filtering by country, supplier type, as well as other criteria such as materials, brands and certifications

Detailed product pages provide buyers with a wealth of helpful information including:

• one primary photo and four thumbnails that show different dimensions or colours
• product videos
• links to related products

An extremely useful Buying Leads section lets buyers post their preferred products on www.hktdc.com:

Finally, flexible and dynamic product classification enables buyers to see at a glance precisely what is available, thus making sourcing at www.hktdc.com even easier and more efficient.

Given this array of user-friendly, time-saving features, the www.hktdc.com website is clearly destined to become the first choice for suppliers and buyers keen to build better, bigger business worldwide.