Cathay – Cityplaza: the story behind our first retail space

The doors are open at Cathay – Cityplaza in Quarry Bay, a new location that  blurs the line between online and brick-and-mortar shopping. With an inventory of lifestyle products tailored to meet modern customers’ needs, the space leads a new trend for experiential retail in Hong Kong. 

Cathay – Cityplaza is the first of its kind, and follows a successful pop-up at Pacific Place last year, featuring a selection of products from Cathay’s digital lifestyle presence, plus branded merchandise. The location welcomed thousands of visitors over its opening weekend last December and has seen steady footfall since, driven partly by customers’ ability to buy online and collect at Cathay – Cityplaza. 

Cathay venturing into in-person retail represents another step towards its ambitious expansion into becoming a comprehensive lifestyle brand and offering members innovative ways to earn and spend Asia Miles. 

“The  opening  of  our  first  retail space is a hugely exciting moment for Cathay and a major milestone in our 76-year history. Our vision was to bring together all that we love about travel and lifestyle,” says Paul Smitton, Cathay’s Director of Customer Lifestyle. “Shopping is a core pillar of this concept, and this experiential space gives us a fantastic platform upon which to showcase the very best of the premium lifestyle that Cathay represents.” 

A beautiful shopping experience 

The interior of the space references the elegant luxury of Cathay’s latest lounges envisioned by British designer Ilse Crawford, beckoning customers inside with a soothing colour palette of taupe and olive, natural wood panelling and gently illuminated shelves showing off immaculate displays, all visually anchored by Cathay’s iconic brushwing. 

Complementing the location’s sophisticated and customer-centric design is a wide range of expertly curated lifestyle products, which include branded merchandise, such as the Cathay x Start From Zero upcycled galley container, and unique, design-led items to elevate any environment. 

How can you earn Asia Miles at Cathay – Cityplaza? 

Cathay – Cityplaza takes a modern approach to retail, combining online and offline worlds: customers can view and interact with products in person and learn about items by scanning QR codes that link to the Cathay online store to make an informed decision before completing their purchase using their phones. The mechanism is simple and straightforward, and dedicated staff are also on hand to assist in the purchasing process. 

Customers have the option to redeem their Asia Miles or choose Miles Plus Cash, and can earn miles when paying with their Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard. 

Moving away from a traditional point of sale offers customers more freedom of choice and “higher confidence” in their purchases in recognition of modern buying habits, explains Andrew Au, Cathay’s Head of Retail and E-commerce. He and his team were challenged to build intuitive customer-focused software that integrates product selection and payment in a step away from traditional retail that has been readily adopted by customers. 

“Customers feel empowered to read about the full product details, see all the available options and do side-by-side comparisons before making their decision,” Au says. “Consumers nowadays often do online price comparison before purchasing, and this is a natural progression to connect with customers.” 

A limitless future 

Cathay - Cityplaza has proven to be a hit outside of the airport; now Au and his team want to bring the experience to passengers – whether they’re flying out of Hong Kong, returning to the city or transiting through. Au says it’s a “logical move that will allow both local Hong Kong and international customers to engage with us”. 

Buoyed with confidence that the concept is a success, Au is also looking ahead to develop further ways to enhance Cathay’s relationship with members – future locations may also be used to introduce other Cathay lifestyle pillars, such as payment, wellness and holidays. 

With excitement, he adds, “It’s still early days.” 

Cathay - Cityplaza, Shop 233, 2/F, Cityplaza, 18 Taikoo Shing Road, Taikoo Shing