Pinoys most active online shoppers in Asia Pacific - survey

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos are the most active in Asia Pacific for online deals a survey done by the global research specialist Nielsen showed. It showed that the trend in the Philippines towards going online for shopping has been increasing in the last two years, with half of Internet-connected Filipinos doing shopping research daily.

The study was intended to determine the influence of digital media on shopping habits in the Philippines and the rest of Asia.

Nielsen noted that over two-third of online consumers in the Philippines used the Internet for shopping research the past month, with 47 percent of those consumers doing so daily, compared to 39 percent in the Asia Pacific region.

Filipino consumers are the most active in the region to search online for deals, as 61 percent have done this the past month compared to 39 percent in Asia Pacific.

However, when it comes to online purchase conversion, only 34 percent have completed a purchase online the past month, compared to 62 percent in Asia Pacific and 49 percent globally.

Nielsen Philippines managing director Stuart Jamieson noted that Internet penetration has been expanding exponentially and more than half of Internet users are conducting product research in search of the best deal.

“This trend provides an apt environment to convert online researchers to make online purchases,” Jamieson added.

He further explained that Filipinos are taking advantage of the Internet to do research for products and are increasingly aware of the benefits of the Internet.

“The Internet presents an opportunity for retailers and manufacturers to tap into a broader consumer base and increase engagement levels with consumers. However, clear strategies to build online consumers’ trust and ultimately increase purchase conversion rates need to be ascertained,” he added.

While non-consumer packaged goods (CPG) products such as electronics, clothing and travel reported the highest penetration for digital shopping intention, the level of influence for non-consumer packaged goods-related products is growing.

Filipinos’ intentions to buy food and beverages via online sources more than doubled from 15 percent to 32 percent in two years.

Meanwhile, Jamieson said that connected devices, such as computers, mobile phones and tablets, have become a way of life for many, but shoppers are digitally engaged to varying degrees depending on the products they buy.

“Marketers need to determine which consumers are embracing digital for their grocery shopping needs so they can focus on the right shoppers with the right digital strategies to improve consumers’ online experience,” he added.