Southeast Asia
Visa Survey: 89 Percent of Internet Users in Asia Pacific Shop Online
Singapore, 03 December 2009
China and India register strongest growth over last two quarters
Online shopping continues to be popular among internet users in Asia Pacific with close to nine in ten (89 percent) of people who participated in the Visa eCommerce Consumer Monitor[1] saying they had shopped online in the past 12 months.
Respondents from South Korea (97 percent), China and Japan (94 percent respectively) and Australia (89 percent) reported the most number of online shoppers of the six key countries surveyed. In terms of quarter-on-quarter growth, when compared with other respondents those from China[2] and India[3] registered the strongest increase in online shopping over the last six months.
Mohamad Hafidz, regional head, eCommerce, Asia Pacific, Visa, said: “With the rise of the middle classes in China and India and the increase in internet penetration, it is not surprising that more people from these two emerging markets are going online and exploring the benefits from all that eCommerce offers."
The most popular items to buy online in the past 12 months were clothes/shoes (55 percent), books (50 percent) and music downloads (49 percent).
The Monitor found that top reasons for online shopping are to be able to shop anytime (80 percent), compare prices and save money (79 percent), find and compare products easily (78 percent) and search for bargains (75 percent).
One in two respondents (51 percent) said that Visa was the best overall payment brand for shopping online.
The number of people in Asia Pacific who have access to the internet grew by 22 percent during the period September 2008 to September 2009. China led the region with a 31 percent growth followed by Japan (18 percent) and India (17 percent)[4].
Following trends in the last quarter, more consumers in the region are shopping on overseas websites than before. The Monitor found that a third (39 percent) of respondents in the region looked overseas for their online purchases. China[5] and India[6] provided the biggest increase in cross-border shopping in the region.
| [1] | The Visa eCommerce Consumer Monitor Q2 2009. From January to March 2009, Ipsos conducted 2,380 online interviews on behalf of Visa with internet users (those who access the internet at least once a week) aged 18 to 49 years from six countries and territories (China, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Australia and India) in an effort to measure their online usage behavior. All figures in this survey are based on amounts as reported by respondents. |
| [2] | 94 percent in Q2 2009; 89 percent in Q1 2009. |
| [3] | 76 percent in Q2 2009; 71 percent in Q1 2009. |
| [4] | September comScore data; http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/china-india-and-japan-fuel-rapid-growth-in-asia-pacific-internet-audience-70186402.html. |
| [5] | 35 in Q1 2009; 48 percent in Q2 2009. |
| [6] | 32 in Q1 2009; 40 percent in Q2 2009. |
About Visa
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world’s most advanced processing networks—VisaNet—that is capable of handling more than 10,000 transactions a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank, and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: Pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products.
For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.
About Visa eCommerce Consumer Monitor
The Visa eCommerce Consumer Monitor tracks quarterly online spending trends of internet consumers in six key countries and territories in Asia Pacific. The Monitor also asks respondents about drivers and barriers to spending online, and their future intention to make purchases on the internet. The findings from this Monitor offer important insights into consumer online spending behaviour and are part of Visa’s commitment to providing information that help economies grow. The data covers the period from Q2 2008 through Q2 2009.
