Putuo mall makes shopping easier for elderly
Officials from Putuo District's commerce commission, market watchdog and Global Harbor launch a consumer rights campaign aimed at boosting consumption.
Putuo District launched a campaign on World Consumer Rights Day on Monday to make shopping more convenient for elderly people in the digital era.
A number of measures were introduced at Global Harbor, the largest and most popular shopping complex in downtown Shanghai.
Businesses in the mall are required to maintain traditional payment methods. Service staff will guide senior shoppers to scan QR codes or use smartphones. Interpreters speaking different dialects will help elderly visitors to communicate with business operators.
The district will also hold regular free lectures in the mall on health and the use of electronic devices.
Ding Zuohong, president of the Yuexing Group and a national political adviser, said at this year’s political advisory session that more measures should be taken across society to help the elderly catch up in the digital era. Many seniors complained they couldn’t enter shopping malls, parks and even wet markets because they had failed to install certain apps on their phones. He asked for simplified apps to be developed for the elderly, while traditional shopping and public service methods should be retained.
"We shall never let the seniors get lost in the rapid digital transformation," Ding said in the proposal.
A sleeping space in an infant products store at the Global Harbor mall.
These measures are part of the campaign launched in Putuo to further boost consumption as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes and to protect consumers’ rights.
The landmark mall in Putuo attracted the largest number of customers among local shopping complexes with a double-digit increase in sales last year despite the coronavirus outbreak, according to the district government.
In one of the new measures, consumers will be allowed to refund or change products after shopping at different Global Harbor malls across the Yangtze River Delta region. The new policy is expected to make it more convenient for travelers and drive the restoration of consumption in the region.
The Putuo mall also became the first in Shanghai to launch an online dispute resolving platform on Monday. Offline businesses will handle any online complaints immediately.
Over 100 leading brands at the mall signed up to the campaign on Monday and pledged to improve their customer services.
The maternal and infant stores launched an activity to provide a comfortable sleeping space for babies to take a nap in their stores. Seven chain brands such as Good Baby and Babycare have joined the initiative.
To ensure food safety, Putuo also established a food inspection station at the mall, which will conduct quick and frequent checks on eateries.
