Global Consumer Electronics Giant Hisense to Introduce Next Gen Tech Products in India

Next Gen Tech Products

* Announces the launch of its range of QLED, UHD & Smart televisions on August 6th on Amazon, Flipkart, TataCliQ and Reliance Digital

* Aims to upgrade buyers with entire 4K range having Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technology

* Also plans to bring in Laser TV, 8K Dual Cell TVs along with UHD, Intelligent ACs with Wifi and premium refrigerator in India at enticing prices

Hisense, a leading consumer electronics and appliance manufacturer of the world is entering the India market with a range of products including next generation technology display products like 100” Laser TV, 86” 8K TVs, Dual Cell QLED TV & OLED TV. Besides these futuristic technology products, the brand will be launching its range of QLED, UHD and Smart televisions on August 6th on Amazon, Flipkart, TataCliQ and Reliance Digital followed by Intelligent ACs and premium Side by Side Refrigerators this year.

Known for its glorious 51 Years, Hisense is a global technology leader and has recently acquired the premium European brand Gorenje and leading Japanese brand Toshiba TV in addition to existing portfolio of brands with an aim to expand globally. With both Hisense and Toshiba, the Hisense group is targeting 40 million TV sales aiming at number two position globally. The brand is operating in over 160 countries and is committed to continuous production innovation with 14 Intelligent manufacturing bases and 18 R&D hubs across the globe. The brand also invests 5% of its revenue back into R&D every year. Sports has also been one of keen area of association for the brand and has been associated with FIFA World Cup, Australian Open, Red Bull F1 Racing, UEFA Euro Championships etc and is also the official partner of UEFA Euro 2020.

Speaking about the launch, Mr. Rishi Tandon, COO Hisense India said, “We are extremely excited to be a part of one of the biggest growing markets in the world. Our goal is to become an aspirational premium brand offering niche, innovative products and solutions at very competitive prices. Our new Made in India range of Smart & 4K televisions are fully loaded and enhancing consumer delight to make their life better will be a key focus area for us. Our products offer uncompromised quality with a seamless, smart and enjoyable viewing experience.”

Hisense will be launching next generation TV Products including Laser TV’s, World’s first DUAL CELL TV products by end of the year. The brand will also be bringing in a range of Toshiba TVs next month.  Apart from the smart television range, Hisense Group will also introduce its Air Conditioners range with intelligent health filters with smart cooling and big capacity refrigerators in French door concept which is currently out of reach due to limited options for the consumer.

The upcoming new Made in India television series of Hisense Amazing 4K LED TV are specially designed, manufactured and packed with innovation and top-notch technology features based on feature insights from the Indian market at the most competitive price points. In collaboration with Dolby, Hisense 4K TVs will be equipped with Dolby Vision & Dolby Atmos for full immersive & engaging cinematic experience.  Dolby Vision, the advanced form of HDR with its Frame by frame processing to brings out the ultimate brightness, color and contrast on screen. Moving audio on screen of Dolby Atmos transports you to the middle of action for a breathtakingly immersive experience The Quantum Dot technology in the TV’s create huge amount of color combinations to present stunning picture quality and Full Array Local Dimming with more dimming zones for better contrast ratio and a bezel-less slim design identity across entire range.

The entire range of Hisense televisions come equipped with the official Android TV 9.0 PIE operating system and official Google Play Store app preloaded giving access to 500,000+ TV shows and movies. The entire range has a Built-in Google Assistant and Built-in Chromecast for a seamless casting of any HD or Full HD content on the big screen.  The range also comes with One touch access feature on the remote, the applications Youtube, Netflix, Disney+Hotstar, Prime Video can be easily browsed through the press of a button.

Starting with Hi to Hisense campaign, the entire range of 4K & Smart televisions will be available online on Amazon, Flipkart, TataCliQ and Reliance Digital starting August 6, 2020.  As an introductory celebration offer and as reinforcer of its confidence on product quality, the brand shall be offering 5 Year warranty on the panel along with certain inaugural discount over its normal operating prices for the first three days of launch i.e. from 6th to 9th Aug 2020.

To ensure consumer delight, the brand shall be ensuring that its service is readily accessible with fast response time and a wide cover having network across more than 18,000 pin codes with 400+ service centers.

Hisense Group has regularly been awarded at international platforms for their product innovation and leadership. The brand received 8 awards in the beginning of 2020 at CES including CES 2020 TOP PICK, Best of CES 2020 for its premium range of LED and Laser TV and Best Fridge Freezer and Induction hob by Trusted Review.

About Hisense

Hisense is global technology leader in manufacturing premium televisions with an impeccable track record of providing top quality products. It is known for its glorious 51 Years of Global Trust and Innovation worldwide. Striving to push the boundaries of innovation and working tirelessly on the research and development, it is one of the world’s leading television manufacturers. Hisense is a leading TV brand worldwide and is also the leading TV brand in countries like Australia, USA, Japan, Mexico and South Africa. Hisense is having footprints globally with presence in over 160+ countries having 14 manufacturing facilities located including countries like Mexico, Slovenia, Serbia, Mexico, Czech, South Africa etc. The group is committed to continuous innovation with 18 R&D hubs across the globe and invests 5% of its revenue back into R&D every year with the sole aim of delivering first-rate and affordable products that improve the lives of consumers.

Honda Cars India Unveils the All New 5th Generation Honda City in Indian Market

Experience ‘Rush of Supremacy’

* Designed on the concept of ‘Ambitious Sedan’, 5th Generation model – Longest and Widest Sedan in its segment

* India’s first connected car with Alexa remote capability

* Honda Connect with Telematics Control Unit (TCU) – Standard offering across all grades with 5-year free subscription and over 32 connected features

* BS-6 compliant Powertrains – All New 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC Petrol engine with VTC and India exclusive refined 1.5L i-DTEC Diesel engine

* ASEAN N-CAP 5 Star rating equivalent

* First in segment features such as Full LED headlamps, Z- Shaped wrap-around LED Tail lamp, 17.7 cm HD full color TFT meter with G-meter, LaneWatch camera, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with Agile Handling Assist (AHA) and many more

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, today launched its much-awaited All New 5th Generation Honda City in India.  First introduced in India in January 1998, Honda City has been the country’s most successful mid-size sedan. Now in its 5th Generation, the City has always defined the original authentic shape of sedan in India and reinvented itself according to the needs and aspirations of its customers. The much awaited All – New Honda City has been conceptualized to carry forward its legacy, deliver supremacy and exceed previous benchmark by offering superior value proposition to its customers.

The new Honda City has been developed at Honda R&D Centre located in Tochigi, Japan following extensive market surveys in India, ASEAN countries and other markets for people’s driving needs and lifestyles.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gaku Nakanishi, President & CEO, Honda Cars India said, “Honda City has been our key pillar of business for more than 22 years, being one of the longest running nameplates in the Indian automotive history. With cumulative sales of more than 4 million units worldwide, it has provided joy to almost 8 lakh customers in India and many more aspiring to own the model. Each generation of the City has raised the bar on design, technology, quality, driving pleasure, comfort & safety, and has come with several industry firsts or segment first features.” “Our vision has been to offer our customers with a new value that is unprecedented in the history of City and we are confident that the All New City will create fresh excitement in the mid-size sedan segment,” he added.

In the All New 5th Generation Honda City, the length and width has been expanded making it the longest and widest sedan in its segment. The All New City takes a huge leap in Connected Car Services with Next Generation of Honda Connect available as standard offering across all grades along with 5-year free subscription. It is India’s First Connected Car with Alexa Remote Capability.

The all-new Honda City has been introduced in both Petrol and Diesel, powered by Honda’s superior EARTH DREAMS TECHNOLOGY range of BS-6 compliant powertrains – All New 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC Petrol engine with VTC and India exclusive refined 1.5L i-DTEC Diesel engine respectively delivering high fuel efficiency, low emission and spirited driving performance. 

The Grand Concept of the 5th Generation Honda City is ‘Ambitious Sedan’ which aims to complement its customer’s ambitions and provide them a strong sense of confidence to upgrade their lives. Its design concept accentuates enhanced stance, higher strength, sportiness and sophistication. The All New City boasts of the largest in segment dimensions including 4549 mm length and 1748 mm width. The height of the new model stands at 1489 mm and wheelbase of 2600 mm.

Mr. Rajesh Goel, Sr. Vice President & Director, Marketing & Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd. said, “Our aim was to make an ambitious sedan for an ambitious customer. The City has always enjoyed strong brand equity and with the 5th generation, we have further enhanced the Intelligent, Confident & Secure presence. City customers have always been very discerning and want a car that is class above the rest. Hence multiple ‘industry first’ and ‘best in segment features’ for Styling, Connectivity, Safety and Convenience have been offered as standard from the entry V variant of the All New City, setting a new benchmark for the segment.”

Supremacy of Design

The overall styling of the All New City with its Full LED Headlamps with 9 LED Array Inline Shell, Integrated LED DRL, L Shaped LED Turn Signal and distinct Z- shape 3D wrap-around LED tail lamps with Uniform Edge Light, One-touch Electric Sunroof, R-16 Diamond cut alloy wheels and shark fin antenna will surely be eye catching on Indian roads and immediately identifiable as ‘City’ even at a glance. In addition to stylish exterior, the 5th Generation Honda City delivers ambition of spaciousness and comfort within the car. Inspired by putting people first, the interiors are based on ‘Man Maximum Machine Minimum’ philosophy. The new City offers Best in class knee room and legroom, enhanced rear seat shoulder room, an ergonomically designed cockpit, multiple storage spaces and top Class Trunk Capacity of 506L.

Supremacy of Powertrains

In addition to grandeur, strength and stance, the 5th Generation Honda City offers Supremacy with Honda’s Earth Dream Series advanced and innovative powertrains which greatly enhance driving performance and fuel economy.

The Petrol variant of the All New City is powered by new 1.5L i-VTEC DOHC petrol engine with VTC, which is Honda’s first in India.  Based on the High Accuracy Valve Technology DOHC + VTC, this newly introduced BS-6 engine improves combustion efficiency, reduces friction and lowers emissions. This high performance engine delivers 89 kw (121PS) @6600 rpm best in segment power and 145 Nm@1750 rpm torque, with quicker torque increase at lower engine speed. It has been mated to an All-New 6 speed Manual Transmission and New 7 speed CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) offering fuel efficiency of 17.8 kmpl and 18.4 kmpl respectively.

The Diesel variant of the All–New City is powered by new 1.5L i-DTEC DOHC Diesel engine mated to the 6-speed manual transmission. It delivers best balance of powerful performance and high fuel economy with 73 kW [100 PS] @ 3600 rpm power, 200 Nm @1750 rpm torque and impressive fuel economy of 24.1 kmpl. Application of advanced exhaust gas after-treatment system with NSC (NOx Storage Catalyst) and DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) has been done to meet the challenging target of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission in case of diesel engines.

Supremacy of Connectivity

The All New City is India’s first connected car with Alexa remote capability and is equipped with Next Generation Honda Connect with Telematics Control Unit (TCU) standard across all grades with 5-year free subscription. The Next Gen Honda Connect, with over 32 features, aims to provide a sense of safety & security, convenience and peace of mind for customers. By giving voice commands to Alexa, the cloud-based voice service from Amazon, customers can use 10 key features of Honda Connect to monitor and control their car from home. Hence, they can remotely access features such as car AC On/ Off, door lock/ unlock, check fuel status, locate the car, and status from the car dashboard, for unparalleled comfort and convenience.

Supremacy of Safety

The City’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body enhances self-protection while mitigating damage to other vehicles in the event of a collision.  The 5th Generation Honda City offers host of active and passive advanced safety features like 6 Airbags system, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability Assist with Agile Handling Assist, Hill Start Assist, Honda Lane Watch™ camera, Multi angle Rear Camera, Emergency Stop Signal, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, ISOFIX compatible Rear Side Seats with Lower Anchorages & Top Tether, and Immobilizer with anti-theft alarm.  

Supremacy of Convenience

In the All- New City, convenience reigns supreme in the form of Honda Advanced Smart Key System with the Walk Away Auto Lock feature, Remote Engine Start (in CVT) & Keyless Window Remote Operation, Fully Automatic Climate Control with Max Cool, Click feel AC dials with red blue elimination, Rear AC vents with Charging Ports, Driver Seat Height Adjuster, LED map and Rear reading lamps.

Cockpit of Supremacy

The ergonomically designed and thoughtfully laid instrument panel sports the 20.3 cm Advanced Touchscreen Display Audio which connects with Apple Car play and Android Auto opening new ways of staying social and digital on the drive. The other features include 17.7cm HD full color TFT meter with Multi-function driver information interface with G-meter, Digital Speed and Cruise Control display, Web Link smart connectivity, 8 speakers premium surround sound system, Ambient Lighting and LED Interior Lamps, Steering Mounted Paddle Shifters for CVT.

The All New 5th Generation Honda City will be available in 3 feature packed grades offered in Petrol and Diesel variants – V, VX and ZX. The Petrol model will be offered in 6-Speed Manual Transmission and 7-Speed CVT and the Diesel model will be offered in 6-Speed Manual Transmission, across the 3 grades. Multiple ‘industry first’ and ‘best in segment features’ for Styling, Connectivity, Safety and Convenience have been offered as standard in all the three grades setting a new benchmark for the segment.

The All New City will be available with a choice of 5 colour options – Radiant Red Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Modern Steel Metallic, Lunar Silver Metallic, Golden Brown Metallic.

5th Generation City also offers wide array of accessory choices to customers with wireless charger (with smartphone holder), front parking sensor with switch, leg room lamp, trunk spoiler with LED, front & rear bumper protector, Side air bag compatible seat cover, Door visor with chrome among many others.

HCIL will start deliveries of the Petrol variants of the new City immediately from HCIL dealer network across the country. The deliveries for the Diesel variants would begin from August 2020.

The All New City offers complete peace of mind with 3 years Unlimited Kilometres warranty as standard benefit to the customer. Additionally, customers can opt for Extended Warranty for additional two years Unlimited / Limited kilometres for extra peace of mind. The car offers low cost of maintenance with Service interval of 1 year/ 10,000km whichever is earlier. 

Customers can also book the All New City online from the comfort of their home through Honda's online sales platform "Honda from Home", alongside HCIL authorized dealership network across the country.

About Honda City

Honda City is one of the most successful car brands in India with very high brand equity. It was first introduced in India in its 1st Generation in January 1998 and later launched as 2nd generation in November 2003, 3rd Generation in September 2008, 4th Generation in January 2014 and has cumulatively sold 8 lakh units so far. The Honda City is currently sold in 60 countries with cumulative sales of 4 Mn units globally and is the leading brand of Honda in Asia and Oceania region.

About Honda Cars India Ltd

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), a leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, was established in December 1995 with a commitment to provide Honda’s latest passenger car models and technologies, to the Indian customers. HCIL has two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities at Greater Noida, U.P and at Tapukara, Distt. Alwar, Rajasthan. The company’s product range includes Honda Jazz, Honda Amaze, Honda WR-V, Honda City, Honda Civic and Honda CR-V, which are manufactured in India. Honda’s models are strongly associated with advanced design and technology, apart from their established qualities of durability, reliability and fuel-efficiency.

OMRON India Partners with PhableCare to Enter Telemedicine Segment in Indian Market

Healthcare monitoring equipment maker OMRON Healthcare India on Tuesday through a video conference press meet announced its foray into the telemedicine segment through a partnership with PhableCare to provide remote hypertension management services at home.

PhableCare is an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled healthcare management player.

Through the partnership, the company will provide a digital platform that enables hypertensive patients to avail all kinds of services right from diagnosis to monitoring to treatment under one roof, OMRON Healthcare India said in a statement.

With autonomous and AI-based healthcare becoming a reality in the new normal, the association will usher in remote hypertension management service, OMRON Healthcare India Managing Director Masanori Matsubara said.

"So far, OMRON has been contributing towards empowering people to keep track of their heart health by providing quality digital blood pressure (BP) home monitoring solutions. However, with the merging of our synergies with PhableCare, we will be able to make millions of patients utilise the monitoring services efficiently under the supervision of doctors from the comfort of their homes," he added.

The patients will get access to an accurate monitoring device, proper diagnosis, prescription, real-time tracking and monitoring, and even efficient drug delivery and risk analysis under this solution, Matsubara said.

Commenting on the partnership, PhableCare CEO and Co-Founder Sumit Sinha said, "The effort is to bring about a fundamental change in how healthcare is accessed and outcomes are driven for hypertensive patients."

The last few months have brought a major shift in consumer behaviour where a large population is accessing their basic needs through smartphones, he added.

In order to avail of the services, users would have to download the app 'PHABLE' on their mobile devices and choose the right subscription packages, the company said.

Are layoffs raising? Reports say 9,000 job vanishing each day

More and more people are becoming unemployed this year, with nearly 9,000 jobs vanishing worldwide on an average each day in January.

As the financial turmoil continues to rattle world economies, layoffs so far this year have crossed the 2,77,000 -mark with a stunning 80,000 job cuts announced January 26.

Right from electronics to telecom to pharma sectors, about 9,000 jobs were lost on an average every day this month.

Among the entities, construction machinery manufacturer Caterpillar, Japanese electronics major NEC and pharma giant Pfizer have announced over 20,000 job cuts each.

Dutch entities - electronics firm Philips and financial services company ING - together would be axing 13,000 jobs in the coming months.

Caterpillar, Pfizer, telecom firm Sprint Nextel Corp and home improvement retailer Home Depot together accounted for 61,000 lay-off announcements on January 26. The total job cuts announced on that day worldwide had crossed 80,000.

The bankruptcy of American electronics retailer Circuit City is expected to affect 30,000 employees whereas aluminium manufacturer Alcoa would be laying off 13,500 people.

Further, Indian conglomerate Tatas-owned UK steel maker Corus would be reducing its workforce by 3,500.

Other entities which unveiled plans to bring down headcount in January include TDK (8,000), BHP Billiton (6,000), Ericsson (5,000), Corning (4,900), Motorola (4,000), Texas Instruments (3,400), Honda (3,100), Kodak (3,000), Ford Motor (1,200) and Harley-Davidson (1,100).

Companies worldwide are bringing down their workforce as they explore ways to battle the dire economic situation. With consumer and business spending being crimped, many of the developed nations have already entered into recession.

Agencies

Tech giants NEC, Hitachi announce 27,000 job cuts

High-tech giants NEC and Hitachi said on Friday they were cutting up to 27,000 jobs as Japan Inc. buckles under the strain of the global economic crisis.

NEC Corp. said it was slashing 20,000 jobs worldwide by March 2010 - half of them regular workers - as it sinks deeper into the red. About 40 percent will be in Japan and the rest overseas, NEC president Kaoru Yano told a press conference.

Hitachi Ltd. said it would shed up to 7,000 jobs as it forecast a net loss of 700 billion yen ($7.8 billion) in the current financial year to March. It will try to move full-time workers around within the company to minimise job losses, company president Kazuo Furukawa said.

"We will take various measures but may not be able to avoid cutting some regular workers," he said.

NEC announced the job losses after saying it expects a net loss of 290 billion yen ($3.2 billion) in the year to March as recessions in major economies from Japan to Europe and the United States hammer demand.

"It is regrettable that we have to announce such a big downgrade," Yano said. "We must cut waste."

Computer maker Fujitsu Ltd. said its net losses ballooned to 36.1 billion yen ($403 million) in the nine months to December, and forecast it would end the year to March in the red.

"I have absolutely no confidence in the fiscal year 2009," Fujitsu chief financial officer Kazuhiko Kato told reporters. "I have no clue what the outlook will be."

Japan is in the midst of its first recession in seven years as the global slowdown saps demand overseas for cars, computers, cameras and other key exports.

A slew of gloomy economic data released on Friday suggested the recession is deepening, with factory output falling a record 9.6 percent in December.

Japanese companies have also been hit hard by a strong yen, which recently soared to a 13-year high against the
Layoffs dollar.

There was more bad news from the car industry as Honda Motor Co. reported that its net profit dived 89 percent to 20.24 billion yen in the fiscal third quarter as car sales slumped.

All Nippon Airways meanwhile said it expects an annual net loss of nine billion yen -- its first in six years -- as travel to North America and Europe declines due to the global economic crisis.

There was also fresh misery in the banking sector as Mizuho Financial Group posted a net loss of 50.55 billion yen in the nine months to December due to the global financial crisis.

Mizuho has been badly hit by financial market turmoil and losses on toxic mortgage-backed securities. A year earlier it had made a net profit of 393.03 billion yen.

The group downgraded its outlook but still hopes to end the current financial year to March in the black. It expects a net profit of 100 billion yen, down from an earlier projection of 250 billion yen.

"The dislocation of the global financial markets stemming from US subprime issues has worsened with the failure of Lehman Brothers in September 2008 and has caused an economic downturn on a global scale," it said in a statement.

"As a result, the economic situation in and outside of Japan has been deteriorating rapidly."

Agencies

Indian IT cos eye Japanese outsourcing biz

After neutralising their mother-tongue accent and mastering the American drawl, Indian geeks are busy learning Japan’s Kanji, Katakana and Hiragana symbols.

Reason: The recession is eating into the volume of outsourced IT work from the US; and after the US, Japan is an important market from the IT perspective, more so during the current period.

Take the case of Suman Reddy Ragidi, a business analyst of Cognizant. Japanese language training has enabled her to converse with clients both in formal as well as informal situations.

“The training has also made it easier for me to understand all project documentation written in Japanese,’’ says Reddy Ragidi. On its part, Cognizant runs foreign language training in its offices and its mandatory for employees to enroll in such language courses.

“Language is an important aspect of culture and such training is helpful in everyday communication. Importantly, employees are able to articulate their viewpoints to clients,’’ says K Venkataraman, director of Cognizant.

The Japanese IT services market is valued at $108 billion, according to a recent survey by Nasscom and Pricewaterhouse-Coopers. India has bagged only 13 per cent of this offshoring pie. Moreover, demand for software is primarily driven by the BFSI (banking, financial, services and insurance) and manufacturing companies which consume 42 per cent of the total IT services.

Another Chennai-based IT player Infoview Technologies, whose business comes fully from Japanese majors, is making sure its employees know Japanese symbols by heart. Around three-fourth of the company’s employees have learnt the language and the top management team which accounts for 10 per cent of the workforce has reached the ‘near native level’ in terms of mastering the language.

The company also recently launched an online Japanese learning software for beginners in India. JWEIC is developed by WEIC Corporation, a Japanese company that is into production and sales of e-learning language and learning management systems. Infoview, which has the rights to sell the software in India and Singapore, is targeting executives and college students alike for the online course. It is targeting 10,000 learners during the first year.

Similarly, Noida-based Nucleus Software which generates half of its revenues from Japan is encouraging its employees to learn the language. “Right now, we are utilising the services of interpreters and translators,’’ says chief executive and managing director, Vishnu Dusad.

For Indian IT entrepreneurs like Chandrasekaran of Infoview Technologies and Dusad of Nucleus the lure for doing business with ‘The Land of the Rising Sun’ is the importance that the Japanese place to long-term relationships. “It’s tough to crack the market initially,” says Cheran Chandrasekaran, CEO, Infoview Technologies.

Source: Times of India

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