Malaysians Spent RM1.8 Billion Shopping Online in 2010

According to a Nielsen company survey, Malaysians spent RM1.8 billion shopping via the Internet in 2010, and this figure is expected to almost triple in 3 years.

The study, commissioned by Internet payment service provider PayPal, also found that Malaysians were spending more on local websites with transactions up to RM825 million, compared to foreign websites which recorded only RM627 million in receipts last year.

Shoppers made online purchases of airline tickets, financial services, fashion items and cosmetics from local websites, while foreign websites saw purchases of books, music and movie downloads. Malaysians shoppers buying from overseas websites cite the unavailability of items locally as the main reason. Cost was the least of their concerns.

The study also found that shopping on mobile devices had a strong growth potential.

The survey said that in 2010 more than 254,000 Malaysian online shoppers spent RM100 million paying for bills, movie tickets, books, movies,  music or game downloads on their mobile devices.

Top seven things Malaysians pay online

• Travel -- Rm435mil (24%)
• Bill payments -- RM329mil (18%)
• Entertainment and lifestyle -- RM255mil (14%)
• IT and electronics -- RM218mil (12%)
• General insurance -- RM205mil (11%)
• Fashion and beauty -- RM181mil (10%)
• Gifts and collectibles -- RM68mil (4%)

Online security was among the top concerns for online shoppers, with 7 out of 10 shoppers expressing their willingness to spend more online if Internet safety measures were improved.

The above study polled 400 Malaysian online shoppers aged 18 and above from January to February 2011. in which they were asked about their online and mobile shopping transactions in 2010.