SEA online spending to surge during holidays, finds survey

Shoppers in Southeast Asia will spark a retail boom as they gear up for highly anticipated end-of-year shopping festivals, with six out of 10 planning to increase their budgets for online shopping, a survey finds. 

For its ‘2023 Holiday Retail Guide for Advertisers’, InMobi surveyed 1,000 smartphone users in Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Why online spending matters

Physical stores in Southeast Asia have traditionally played a prominent role and while they remain important for shoppers, more consumers are planning to use mobile during their shopping journey and it is playing a dominant role.

Key insights

• 90% of consumers will increase or maintain online shopping budgets when compared to 2022.
• 73% of holiday shoppers will be hybrid, online and offline.
• Mobile is the most preferred medium in every phase of the shopper’s journey.
• Shoppers cite app-only discounts and convenience as the top two reasons they turn to mobile.
• 86% of SEA shoppers use mobile for exploring; 81% choose mobile for the final purchase; and 63% use mobile to search for products.
• Three buyer personas were identified: category explorers (58%), bargain hunters (29%) and brand lovers (13%).
• Category explorers have decided on the products to shop for but not the brands.
• Bargain hunters are those who seek incentives before they make their purchases.
• Brand lovers are shoppers who know both the products and the brands they want.
• There is a sharp rise in the number of category explorers from the previous year, when only four in 10 shoppers were in this category.

Key quote

“With the excitement for the end-of-year shopping festivals and an appetite for exploring brands and products being at an all-time high, it is essential for marketers and retailers to be present effectively throughout Southeast Asia’s shopping journey” – Rishi Bedi, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, InMobi.