Processing .....please wait.. 
The article has been forwarded.... 
News >> Technology >>
80 percent of internet users shop online
By siliconindia
|
Monday, 24 November 2008, 14:33 IST |
3 Comments
Bangalore: The online shopping destinations are increasingly drawing the crowd in Asia Pacific, with India ranking fifth as an average online spender. The Visa e-Commerce Tracking Survey reveals that nearly 80 percent of internet users in Asia Pacific makes online transactions and spends on an average a sum of over $3,000 each in the past 12 months.
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. 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." The survey concludes that buyers are mostly drawn to the online shopping centers as they are able to shop at any time (88 percent), at the best prices (83 percent) and easily (82 percent). According to the respondents, the most commonly made online purchases were digital entertainment (59 percent), travel (51 percent) and fashion (49 percent). It is also revealed that the online shoppers spends the most on travel services including airline, rail tickets, hotel accommodation and travel packages, with an average spending of $812 in the last 12 months, while Indians are a significant punter of digital entertainment.
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. Singaporeans stood as second biggest online spenders.
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.