Survey: Online Shopping Trends in Asia

Consumers in six rapidly growing eCommerce markets are taking to online shopping in a big way, according to the 2010 Visa eCommerce Consumer Monitor.

 In August and September 2010, The Nielsen Company conducted 3,156 online interviews on behalf of Visa with regular internet users (those who accessed the internet at least once an week) aged 18 and older from six markets (Mainland China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand) in an effort to measure their online usage behaviors.

Almost nine in ten (87%) of the survey respondents across the six markets polled said they had purchased products and services online in the past year.

Online shopping was most popular among respondents from mainland China and Taiwan where almost all those surveyed (98% and 97% respectively) said they had shopped online in the past twelve months. Purchasing online was also common practice for respondents from India with 89% saying they had shopped online over the past year.

The survey found that respondents across the six markets spent the most on travel, paying an average of US$550 over the last 12 months for airline tickets, accommodation and travel agent services. Other major spend categories included share trading (average of US$320), electrical appliances and white goods (average of US$166), banking and financial services (average of US$92) and computer hardware (average of US$75).

Respondents across the six markets reported spending an average of US$2,086 over a period of a year. Online shoppers from Taiwan reported spending almost double the survey average (US$4,041), while shoppers from mainland China (US$2,557) and Malaysia (US$2,006) also spent above the median.

Paul Jung, Head of eCommerce, International, Visa, said, “China in particular continues to attract attention of many eCommerce retailers because of the growing number of affluent consumers who are going online to shop.”

Industry research shows that the number of internet users in China climbed to 420 million in 2010, a 9% increase from the year before. According to a report by China’s Ministry of Commerce, Chinese consumers spent US$38 billion online in 2009, double the amount spent in 2008.

“Going online to book airline tickets, purchase financial services or electrical appliances is growing to be as common as paying a visit to the nearest mall or supermarket. In fact, many shoppers who buy online feel it’s more convenient to shop on the internet than go to an actual store because they can compare prices easily and shop at a time that’s convenient to them from the comfort of home,” Jung added.

According to the Visa survey, convenience dominates as the key motivator for shopping online followed by bargain hunting. Respondents said they shopped online because it allowed them to shop at any time (83%), to find and compare products easily (81%), and compare prices to save money (81%). 74% said they shopped online to avoid going to the store.

When asked about their online shopping experience over the last 12 months, 76% of respondents said they were satisfied with the ease of the online payment process and 72% said they were satisfied with the speed of their online transaction.

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