As Hong Kong’s population continues to age, the silver market has seen a rapid boom, while the demand for products and services for senior consumers is also steadily on the rise. Finding reliable and thoughtful consumer guidance in an era of information overload has become a shared challenge for many senior citizens and consumers. To assist seniors in making smart consumption choices, the Consumer Council launched its “Smart Seniors” Consumer eHub today (31 January), a brand-new one-stop information platform which consolidates selected content covering food and nutrition, healthcare, financial management, leisure and entertainment, and gerontechnology. Together with feature articles, information on seminars and courses provided by partners, the platform aims to provide convenient, accessible and practical information for seniors, their families and carers, to enhance their self-protection capability and empower seniors to become smart consumers.
The launch ceremony of the “Smart Seniors” Consumer eHub was held today at Olympian City 2 in Tai Kok Tsui. The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, and the Chairman of the Consumer Council, Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, officiated as the guests of honour. Celebrity guest Ms Michelle Yim was invited to demonstrate and explain how to use the eHub together with Senior Educators, enabling seniors and other consumers to better understand the navigation of the platform. Ms Maggie Wong Siu-chu, Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Alaina Shum, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council, and representatives from various partner organisations also attended to witness the official launch of the new platform.
Promoting Digital Inclusion and Smart Consumption
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, said during his welcome speech, “Faced with demographic changes, senior citizens are playing an increasingly crucial role in the consumer market. The Consumer Council hopes that through the ‘Smart Seniors’ Consumer eHub, seniors, their families and carers can easily obtain trustworthy consumer information to enhance their self-protection capability. We will fully support the HKSAR Government in boosting the silver economy, through strengthening collaboration with Government department units, public, social welfare and medical organisations, and promoting the development of quality silver products and services. We hope that this brand-new one-stop platform can realise the concept of ‘Senior Consumers, Empowered and Wiser’.”
The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, remarked, “2046 will be the peak of population ageing in Hong Kong, with over one-third of the population aged 65 or above. The HKSAR Government and the community must plan ahead. The Government set up in 2024 a Working Group on Promoting Silver Economy and proposed 30 measures spanning across five aspects last May. The Chief Executive also announced the setting up of a Working Group on Ageing Society Strategies in last year’s Policy Address to formulate timely strategic responses to societal ageing. The ‘Smart Seniors’ Consumer eHub launched today is an important milestone in the Consumer Council’s work to protect the rights and interests of elderly consumers. The platform provides diversified content through a simple and intuitive interface, enhancing the silver group’s awareness of ‘smart consumption’. I call upon all sectors of society to unite and work together to promote ‘silver consumption’.”
One-stop Integrated Information
A New Experience for Senior Consumers
The “Smart Seniors” Consumer eHub is designed specifically for senior citizens and their carers. The layout centres on “elderly-friendly” principles, adopting large font sizes, clear instructions and simple icons. The platform supports responsive web design for easy browsing on mobile phones, tablets or computers, and also provides article summaries and a text-to-speech function to enable users to quickly grasp key points and read while listening; hence facilitating the absorption of new information and enhancing the browsing experience.
4 Key Categories Providing Comprehensive Information
Developed with the perspective of seniors and their carers in mind, the extensive content of the “Smart Seniors” Consumer eHub is presented in 4 major categories to facilitate easy searching according to users’ needs:
- Feature Articles: Diverse information on food and nutrition, travel, finance, leisure and entertainment, gerontechnology and healthcare; consolidates product tests, service surveys, “Case in point” complaint case studies and Shopping Guide articles published by the Council in recent years.
- Highlight Events: Recommends local cultural, leisure and recreational events to encourage seniors to actively participate in community life.
- Joyful Learning: Offers anti-scam and anti-fraud tips, consumer rights information, as well as online or in-person courses to enhance digital and consumer knowledge for shopping smartly.
- Expert Blogs: Contributions by experts across a vast range of disciplines, including Chinese and Western medicine, gerontechnology and community services to comprehensively enhance seniors’ self-protection capability.
Collaborating with Partners to Deliver Rich and Practical Content
The Council has established partnership arrangements with at least 38 Government department units, social welfare, medical and professional organisations, as well as universities. Partners share feature articles and course information with the Council, enriching the platform content and making it more relevant to the daily needs of seniors. The Council expresses its heartfelt appreciation to all collaborative partners for their continued support. The complete list of partner organisations is set out in the appendix.
To support the Government’s efforts in boosting the silver economy, the Council has set up an Advisory Group on Silver Economy early last year, bringing together experts across healthcare, welfare, business sectors and academia. At the same time, the Council continues to strengthen consumer judgement through product tests, service surveys and research reports. It also operates the Elderly Hotline – 2110 2288 – and trains retirees through the “Educator Scheme for Senior Citizens” to promote consumer education in the community. The Council will continue to expand its partner network to jointly foster a silver-friendly society.
Visit the “Smart Seniors” Consumer eHub:
Visit https://smartseniors.consumer.org.hk or scan the QR code to start your smart consumption journey!
Press here to learn about the complete list of partner organisations.
Photo Captions
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, delivers the welcome remarks.
Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, delivers the opening remarks.
Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Ms Maggie Wong Siu-chu, Dr Alaina Shum, and Ms Michelle Yim officiate at the launch ceremony of the “Smart Seniors” Consumer eHub.
Ms Michelle Yim, together with the Senior Educators, introduce the eHub’s key features and navigation tips.
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing and Ms Michelle Yim team up with Senior Educators for an on-stage game, firing up the crowd with a lively, energetic atmosphere
Group photo of all guests and partner representatives witnessing the official launch of the “Smart Seniors” Consumer eHub.
Senior Educators engage the public at the mall following the ceremony, demonstrating the eHub features with enthusiastic response from senior audience.
