M'sians Shop Online More, Says Survey

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 (Bernama) -- Consumers in Malaysia are shopping online more and have become confident about online security, according to the findings of the MasterCard Worldwide Online Shopping Survey conducted last year in 25 countries. Five hundred Malaysians aged between 18 and 64, took part in the survey which was also carried out between Dec 5, 2011 and Jan 12, 2012. The survey also revealed that the number of people who shopped online in Malaysia grew 12 per cent compared with 55 per cent in 2010. "This increase is partly attributed to the Malaysian consumer's increased confidence level in online shopping – 36 per cent in 2011 were concerned about security versus 39 per cent in 2010," said MasterCard Worldwide in a statement Wednesday. It added that with the cumulative growth in confidence to make purchases online, the survey also showed an increase in spending across various categories. Vice-President and Senior Country Manager (Malaysia and Brunei) MasterCard Worldwide, Jim Cheah said local consumers were increasingly getting more sophisticated and savvy in making online purchases, and coupled with that, the Internet had also become a vital part of their lives. "Although a majority (71 per cent) of respondents said they would rather use their laptop for shopping, the mobile phone is rising rapidly as the device of choice for Asian shoppers in emerging markets. "Mobile shopping is also slowly gaining traction in Malaysia with 25 per cent of Malaysian respondents carrying out transactions through their mobile phone in the past three months," he was quoted as saying in the statement. -- BERNAMA