Malaysian shoppers skipped the queues to shop online and on their mobile devices this festive season

- Mobile and online shopping trends during the 2011 festive season -

Kuala Lumpur, January 16, 2012 – The festive season in 2011 was a busy period* for mobile and online shopping as Malaysians shopped online, and on their mobile devices in the hunt for the prefect Christmas gift and holiday buys. As per an earlier PayPal study**, Malaysia’s boom in online shopping is set to continue to reach its forecast of RM5 billion in 2014. For mobile shopping, nearly 7 out of 10 Malaysians said using their mobile device would be faster and more convenient because they can make a transaction “anytime, anywhere”***.

Elias Ghanem, managing director, PayPal Southeast Asia and India said, “Online shopping has become mainstream, especially during the festive season as many Malaysians skipped the long queues, searched online for great deals, and bought gifts from the comfort of their homes. This was the first festive season for mobile shopping to become popular as Malaysians reached for their smartphones and tablets to enjoy the convenience of shopping anytime, anywhere. Interestingly, Malaysians planned well ahead for their festive online shopping in late November whereas mobile shopping was widely used for purchases during the Christmas week.”

First festive season that mobile shopping becomes popular in Malaysia
Mobile shopping was driven by an increasing number of Malaysians going online via Internet-capable mobile devices. According to a recent InMobi report****, smartphone penetration in Malaysians is at a sharp increase and close to six in ten Malaysian digital consumers used their mobile phone to access the Internet in 2011. The InMobi "Mobile Impact on Media Consumption in Malaysia" report also revealed that mobile is the top choice for Malaysians going online.

Several interesting trends for mobile shopping by PayPal users in Malaysia over the festive season include:
● Mobile shopping sales saw the biggest jump on Sunday, December 11, 2011 highlighting that Malaysians started looking for festive deals two weeks before Christmas via their smartphones and tablets.
● The busiest mobile shopping date was December 24, 2011 revealing that even on Christmas Eve – Malaysians were using their mobile devices to purchase last-minute Christmas gifts for family and friends.
● Popular mobile shopping sites in Malaysia during the festive season included:
­ www.gsc.com.my and www.tgv.com.my indicating that Malaysians opted to skip the queue and purchase movie tickets on-the-go during the crazy busy year-end holidays.
­ www.groupon.my and www.lelong.com.my, demonstrating the growing influence of daily deal and auction websites, and Malaysians accessing these websites from their smartphones and tablets.
­ www.agoda.com showing that Malaysians were even buying holiday packages on their mobile devices, putting a world of hotels in the palm of their hands.
­ www.rc711.com, revealing that Malaysians were buying gifts for future frequent flyers and boy racers like remote controlled miniature helicopters, airplanes and cars from their mobile devices.

Online shopping, a more convenient way to shop over the festive season
With a digitally-savvy society and growing broadband penetration, online shopping is becoming mainstream in Malaysia.

Here are some noteworthy online shopping trends by PayPal users in Malaysia over the festive season:
● The busiest festive online shopping date was Tuesday, November 29, 2011 showing that many Malaysians took advantage of the fabulous online deals on ‘Cyber Monday 2011’ when U.S. retailers offer deep discounts online.
● Online shopping sales saw the biggest jump on November 30, 2011 highlighting that Malaysians planned their gifts and festive buys well ahead of Christmas and the year-end festivities.
● Popular online shopping sites in Malaysia during the festive season included:
­ www.dhgate.com signifying that Malaysians were purchasing affordably-priced apparel, electronics and handbags from China as gifts for loved ones.
­ www.hopshopgo.com and www.asos.com highlighting that Malaysians were shopping overseas from popular US and UK online retailers that offer the latest in fashion wear.
­ www.naruko.com.my/shop/ showing that Malaysians were buying beauty and skincare products as gifts for family and friends to look good in the new year.

*Period tracked – November 24, 2011 to December 26, 2011.
** PayPal Online and Mobile Shopping Insights 2011
*** PayPal Online and Mobile Safety Insights 2011
**** InMobi "Mobile Impact on Media Consumption in Malaysia" Dec 2011