Macau consumers’ satisfaction hits record high

A vendor cooks food in bamboo steamer baskets at a stall in the Gongbei district of Zhuhai. Local consumers have never been more satisfied with spending in the neighboring city

Macau consumers’ satisfaction has hit a record high over the past nine years in regards to shopping and dining in the territory, according to an annual survey conducted by the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST)’s Institute for Sustainable Development.
The Institute’s director, Chan Lai Kow, told the Times that a trend has become more obvious in the past year that “middle-level retail shops, restaurants and cafés in the city tended to thrive and have more opportunities when targeting local youths and middle-class families; they are expected to continue improving customer satisfaction if they maintain a fair quality and service.”
The institution’s latest survey, which received 979 responses in May, suggested that local consumers’ satisfaction towards shopping scored 72.7 on a scale of 100 and experienced the largest increase in nine years by 2.4 percent year-on-year. Residents’ satisfaction towards dining in local restaurants and hotels also saw a record upsurge of 5.7 percent, not only having recovered from the downtown in the previous year but also climbed above 70 (to 70.7) for the first time in nine years.
Meanwhile, Macau consumers have never been more satisfied with spending in the neighboring city of Zhuhai. Their satisfaction towards shopping in Zhuhai hit a record high score of 68.7 with a record rise of 6.7 percent; of that, satisfaction towards dining in Zhuhai also rose by 3.2 percent to 67.1 – the second highest score since the study launched.
Professor Chan explained that the report looks into local consumers’ satisfaction towards “quality, service and value for money” when they purchase clothing and footwear as well as when dining in Macau and compares those experiences with similar ones in Zhuhai.
He indicated that although Macau is still in the lead in local consumers’ satisfaction indexes, its advantage over Zhuhai in shopping has continued to narrow over the past three years. Since the scoring difference in shopping reached the largest gap of 9.1 points in 2012, it has dropped to 4 points in this year’s survey. Nevertheless, the scoring difference in dining has widened to 3.6 points, representing Macau’s leading position in nine years.
“Along with the mainland’s economic growth slowdown, inflation has also slowed down and been maintained as low as below 2 percent; in addition, the appreciation of the RMB has stabilized, where Macau consumers feel that they are receiving more value for money,” explained MUST associate professor Li Yan Chen.
“Zhuhai’s retail sector has also advanced by opening several large shopping malls and introducing some global clothing brands that target the general public ahead of Macau,” he added. The scholar suggested that for Macau to keep its lead position over its competitor it needs to continue introducing good-
quality, affordable retail brands and differentiate itself by choosing different goods and brands than those available in the mainland.
As for the food and beverage sector in Macau, professor Chan Lai Kow stressed that many of Macau’s merchants are middle-
and-small-sized businesses, who are characterized by a tradition of friendliness. He suggested that such a good tradition must be passed on, whilst the sector considers how to improve customers’ satisfaction with stable food quality and prices.