9 of 10 Pinoys prefer online shopping

MANILA, Philippines – Nearly nine out of 10 Filipino consumers do their shopping online, based on a study commissioned by Visa International. The Visa eCommerce Consumer Monitor 2014 also reveals that the top reasons for online shopping are convenience (58 percent), price (47 percent), and deals (46 percent).

The study also reveals that those who prefer to do their shopping online spend an average 6.2 hours daily.

In fact, 72 percent of the respondents have been shopping online for the past 12 months.

Visa country manager for the Philippines and Guam Stuart Tomlinson said that as local and international e-commerce websites become more popular among Filipino consumers, a steady increase will continue to be experienced in online shopping and e-commerce growth in the country.

Tomlinson said that the study reveals that the top three categories for online transactions are bill payments (39 percent), fashion-related items (39 percent), and movie tickets (34 percent).

Even traditional Filipino shopping habits carry over in the digital world – the convenience of online shopping allows 63 percent of Filipinos to compare prices of items without needing to visit physical stores.

Filipino consumers also favor e-commerce sites, which store their payment details, citing faster checkouts for their orders (58 percent).

While Filipinos still predominantly use cash for everyday transactions, Visa’s eCommerce study reveals that 65 percent of respondents prefer to use payment cards when shopping online, while 35 percent still prefer cash on delivery and another 34 percent select bank transfers, highlighting the strong confidence towards using payment cards.

It further reveals that consumers are shifting to mobile phones when shopping online, with 51 percent of respondents browsing for items through their smartphones and 29 percent proceeding to make their purchase through their phones.

Tablet users tend to look for books, event/concert tickets and digital content, but only 17 percent have actually made a purchase and 31 percent browsed.

However, desktop purchases still dominate the Filipino consumers’ preferred platform, with 82 percent of consumers browsing and 90 percent making purchases using their desktops and laptops.

An earlier study on consumer behavior highlights the preference of Filipino online shoppers towards local online retailers (80 percent) for faster deliveries (62 percent) and less risk of lost orders (55 percent).

Forty three percent of respondents are concerned with delivery times while 45 percent consider payment security when shopping for their items in overseas websites.

Tomlinson said that Filipino consumers value products and services that make their lives more convenient. Thus it comes as no surprise that they see the accessibility that online shopping provides.

The insights that we gain from this study allow us to develop relevant platforms, products, services, and other value-added features that promote faster, secure, and more convenient deals and transactions that help promote retail and e-commerce growth in the country,” he added. –Ted P. Torres (The Philippine Star)