80% of APAC Internet users go online to shop

The internet is proving as appealing a shopping destination as the likes of shopping centres in Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong or Orchard Road in Singapore. According to a Visa e-Commerce Tracking Survey, nearly 80 percent of internet users surveyed in Asia Pacific say they made an online transaction and spent an average of over US$3,000 each in the past 12 months.

The top three draws for shopping online were being able to shop at any time (88 percent), at the best prices (83 percent), and being able to shop easily (82 percent). According to the respondents, their most commonly made online purchases were digital entertainment (59 percent), travel (51 percent) and fashion (49 percent).

Among the wide range of products and services available on the internet, Asia Pacific online shoppers surveyed reported that they spent the most on travel services with an average spending of $812 in the last 12 months. Travel items included airline and rail tickets, hotel accommodation and travel packages.

Mohamad Hafidz, regional head, e-Commerce, Asia Pacific, Visa, said: “Nearly a quarter of the world's population – roughly 1.4 billion people – used the internet on a regular basis in 2008 and in Asia Pacific, on average, a person spent about 20.2 hours a month online. Our own survey has revealed online consumers in Asia Pacific recognize the convenience of online shopping as reflected in the high percentage of internet users who buy a wide range of products, from that for everyday use to the occasional high-value item online.”

In the region, Japanese and Koreans surveyed emerged as the most frequent shoppers, with 99 percent and 93 percent respectively having made an online purchase over the last 12 months. However, Australians were the biggest online spenders with an average 12-month tab of $4,160 – $680 more than Singaporeans, who are the next biggest online spenders.

In India, purchasing digital downloads was the most popular form of consumer e-commerce. Seventy-six percent of respondents from India, the highest among Asia Pacific, have bought a form of digital entertainment over the internet in the last 12 months. Music downloads (63 percent) emerged as the most popular digital entertainment purchase.

The internet has also brought about an increase in the number of cross-border transactions with 75 percent of internet users surveyed in Hong Kong having bought an item from an overseas website in the preceding 12 months. Visa (both credit and debit cards) was their most popular payment method with nearly 60 percent of online shoppers surveyed choosing to pay with Visa. Mohamad added: “With almost four in five internet users buying online, people in Asia Pacific are taking full advantage of the global shopping experience that the internet provides.”

Past 12 months online shopping spending by website category – Top 10 in Asia Pacific

1 Airlines / airline tickets
2 Online travel agents
3 Travel accommodation
4 Clothes / shoes
5 Car / motorcycle
6 Computer hardware (PC)
7 Food and groceries
8 Electrical appliances (TV, stereo, etc)
9 White goods (refrigerator, dishwasher, etc)
10 Other types of transportation for traveling

Average online spending in the past 12 months
1 Australia - US$4,160
2 Singapore - US$3,480
3 Japan - US$3,175
4 South Korea -US$3,027
5 India - US$2,147
6 Hong Kong -US$1,698

Source: Visa e-Commerce Tracking Survey