Online bargains, convenience and the ease of finding and comparing items are driving Malaysians to do their holiday season shopping online this year. 
 
These key findings are from the first Holiday Season Online Shopping Study conducted by Visa which surveyed more than 4,000 online shoppers from Australia, mainland China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand on their purchasing attitudes and behaviors across Christmas and New Year’s.
 
According to the survey, there is a strong purchasing intention among Malaysian online shoppers this year-end holiday season with 87 percent of respondents saying they plan to buy items or services online.
 
On average, online shoppers in Malaysia said they would spend RM2,651 (US$831) online this holiday season, only behind Australia at RM3,082 (US$966) and Singapore at RM3,072 (US$963), and ahead of mainland China, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, and Korea.
 
Among the top reasons given for shopping online this holiday season are price factors such bargains or discounts (62 percent), convenience factors such as shopping at any time of the day and saving time (51 percent and 57 percent, respectively), and product factors such as the ease of finding and comparing items (71 percent).
 
“Shoppers indicated they are primarily motivated to spend more online by the convenience and substantial cost savings associated with buying on the web. Bargain hunters have a much easier time comparing prices in the online environment and consumers can take advantage of the numerous sales during the year-end period to stretch their dollar on gifts and stock up for the new year,” said Stuart Tomlinson, Country Manager, Malaysia, Visa.
 
“No matter who they’re buying for this holiday, Visa cardholders can enjoy added security online when they use an identity authentication service like Verified by Visa,” Tomlinson added.
 
Other findings from the Visa Holiday Season Online Shopping Study:

• Shopping while at work the new norm: More than one in three (38 percent) respondents said they would make their holiday purchases while at work, while others prefer to multi-task and shop while watching TV or while waiting for someone (13 percent each). The majority said they would shop at home (89 percent).
  
• Most Malaysian shoppers buy up to five Christmas gifts online: Close to three in five (59 percent) respondents from Malaysia said they planned to purchase between one and five Christmas gifts online. One in three (32 percent) respondents said they would purchase between six to 10 Christmas gifts online.
  
• Travel, fashion and entertainment top the online holiday shopping list for Malaysians: Items in the travel related categories including holiday accommodations and airline tickets (74 percent overall) were the most popular intended online purchases, followed by fashion and beauty products including clothes, bags, watches, accessories, perfume, shoes, healthcare products and cosmetics (61 percent overall) and music and entertainment products including movie tickets, music downloads and concert / event tickets (41 percent overall).
  
• Overall consumer spending sentiment: In addition to tracking online holiday shopping behavior, survey respondents were also asked about their overall holiday spending intentions (both online and in-store) versus 2010. On average, shoppers in Malaysia said they would spend RM4,581 (US$1,436) on shopping during this holiday season, slightly higher than the total holiday shopping spending last year.