PricewaterhouseCoopers: Survey shows 93% of Malaysians have online shopping experience

“Southeast Asian consumers have emerged as the world’s fastest and strongest adopters of mobile communications and social media, both online and in-store, with two-thirds of consumers in Malaysia and Singapore, and three-quarters in Thailand, making their primary purchases directly via mobile.”

“Southeast Asian consumers have emerged as the world’s fastest and strongest adopters of mobile communications and social media, both online and in-store, with two-thirds of consumers in Malaysia and Singapore, and three-quarters in Thailand, making their primary purchases directly via mobile.”

Chinese people shop online more frequently

The shopping trends of these three countries exceed the global average of 54%. Accounting consortium PricewaterhouseCoopers pointed out that in addition to using mobile technology to shop, consumers also gain knowledge about purchasing items, such as checking competitors' prices or reading publications.

The group's latest "Retail Industry Review 2016" report pointed out that although the online shopping market is still new, 93% of consumers surveyed in Southeast Asia have online shopping experience, and some of them even shop online regularly.

In the regional market, China surpasses the Southeast Asian average, with more than 90% of respondents indicating that they shop online every month or more frequently.

According to the development trend, online shopping will become more popular and the operation of general stores must be innovated. Consumers in Malaysia and Singapore said that they hope to learn more about the retail industry so that they can enhance their in-store shopping experience or enjoy the shopping process.

In addition, areas where Southeast Asian consumers would like to see improvements include: using stores as a platform to expand retailers' networks or brands, and having a wider selection of items.

55% of respondents in Singapore shop from overseas online retailers, mainly due to the limited product range in the local market. 35% of consumers want to be able to check the inventory records of more than one store and learn about the product variety from videos.

Meanwhile, 60% of consumers in Southeast Asia are willing to pay extra to collect their ordered items on the same day, and the study found that in China, same-day or specific-time delivery has become an expectation among consumers, especially with the low shipping costs of e-commerce.

Additionally, 40% of respondents said they would be willing to pay extra to pick up their ordered items at a convenient third-party location, such as a convenience store or bank, although these are only suggestions for discussion.

“In Southeast Asia, as online shopping rapidly gains momentum, some companies need to accelerate their efforts to determine how to take advantage of this momentum; the existing barriers to entry are slightly lowered, thanks to the expansion of the Internet and the advancement of electronic technology.”