From Viet Nam News/Asia News Network
The growth of connected device ownership is causing a boom in the online retail sector, with the number of people making online purchases spiking in the last two years in Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, global information company Nielsen said in a report last week.
Online shopping is displayed on a computer screen (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
Doan Duy Khoa, director of Consumer Insights at Nielsen Vietnam, said: “2014 is witnessing a significant growth of e-commerce in Vietnam.
“Entertainment activities such as travel are the key potential areas which continue to see about half of Vietnamese consumers intending to shop online.
“Searching for and finding more information on products and services online before buying in stores seems to be very popular with many Vietnamese consumers.
“Now, with the increasing use of smart phones, Vietnam is in the top three markets in Southeast Asia whereby consumers use their mobile device to shop online most frequently.”
The report said 58 percent of Vietnamese consumers use their mobile phones to shop online frequently.
Khoa said, “And this trend is expected to continue in the coming years.”
The report also said that 56 percent of Vietnamese internet users said they use price-saving apps In-store and 44 percent manage their grocery list with grocery retailers’ mobile apps and online tools.
Regional Comparison
The survey found that travel services are the most commonly bought items online in Southeast Asia along with tickets for films, live performances, exhibitions, and sports events.
Singaporeans and Malaysians rank among the world’s most avid online shoppers.
Singaporeans have the highest online purchase intention globally with around 70 percent planning to go online to buy flights and 69 percent making hotel and tour reservations within the next six months.
The country ranks second highest globally for event tickets.
Malaysians rank second globally in buying tours and making hotel reservations online and third globally in terms of intention to buy airline tickets and event tickets online.
Around half of consumers in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam intend to make travel and event purchases online, while it is around four in 10 in Thailand.
Digital consumers across the region enjoy shopping online.
Filipinos, Vietnamese, and Singaporeans are most inclined to buy online whereas in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand they are more likely to go online to browse.
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