S’pore, HK e-shopping grows at fastest pace

Singaporeans and Hong Kongers have the fastest-growing appetites for online shopping in the region, a survey has revealed.

More than 90 per cent of respondents here said they had bought items on the Internet in the past three months, up from 80.6 per cent in 2011.

This pushed them up nine index points in the latest MasterCard Online Shopping Survey, with Hong Kongers recording the same increase.

The poll of 25 countries and territories was carried out last November and December, and measured consumers’ propensity to shop on the Web.

People in the Philippines had the second fastest- growing appetite for online purchases, with a seven point increase. They were followed by the mainland Chinese, who rose four points.

Singaporean blogshop owner Rachel Lim said the industry had doubled in size in the past two years. “It used to be how it wasn’t so safe, and if the money would go to the right places,” she added. “But people are more willing to shop online now.”

The 26-year-old – who co-founded fashion store Love, Bonito – said it requires effort to monitor and control the increasing traffic to her site, which can receive about 5,000 to 12,000 users when a new collection of clothes is launched.

Student Jeffery Neo, 25, shops online at least twice a month on sites such as ASOS and Groupon. “I prefer using my smartphone to shop because it’s convenient to buy on the spot when I receive promotional e-mails,” he said.

Despite Singaporeans and Hong Kongers’ burgeoning desire for online buys, the Chinese remain the region’s most avid Net-shoppers, with 99.4 per cent of respondents doing so in the three months.