Mobile payment usage in the APAC region has grown 30% in 2018, with 63% of consumers citing the mobile device as an important shopping tool. The findings are part of GfK’s latest FutureBuy report, which studied 11,000 online interviews conducted in July 2018 across 11 APAC markets to understand consumers’ shopping habits and behaviours across 18 products from packaged food and beverages to home appliances and wearables. Moreover, 54% of the region’s consumers preferred to use mobile payments when transacting online, whilst 55% said the same regarding the transactions made in a physical store. On average, over a third of APAC consumers surveyed said they preferred to shop on their smartphones – consumers in China (45%) and India (42%) were more likely to reach for their phones when making purchases, whilst one in three shoppers in Singapore agreed with the statement. Apparel, toys, and wearables came out as the top three most popular products purchased online within the region, with over 50% of consumers making such purchases in the past six months prior to the report. However, the FutureBuy report also revealed a significant difference in the type of products purchased using different devices. Thus, whilst fast moving consumer goods are mainly bought through smartphones, larger items such as laptops and appliances were purchased using computers.
Consumers in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly reaching for their smartphone to pay for clothes, toys and wearables, as mobile payment use has grown by 30% this year, according to a report by Growth from Knowledge (GfK). The report, which was released on Tuesday, found that consumers spent an average of $US1.07 per day using smartphones last year. The survey also revealed that while smaller goods were often paid for via a smartphone, larger items, such as laptops or appliances, were bought via computers.