Consumers across Southeast Asia are increasingly searching online channels to research and purchase products and services.

Digital consumers across Southeast Asia enjoy going online to shop, although Filipinos, Vietnamese and Singaporeans are most inclined to purchase items online, while in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand consumers are more likely to go online to browse, finds Nielsen.

The research house says travel services such as airline tickets and tour and hotel reservations are the most commonly purchased items online in Southeast Asia, along with tickets for events such as movies, live performances, exhibitions and sports games.

Singaporeans have the highest online purchasing intention globally for airline tickets and hotel and tour reservations and the second highest globally for event tickets; around seven in 10 Singaporeans plan to go online to purchase flights (70 per cent) and make hotel and tour reservations (69 per cent) within the next six months.

Malaysians’ online purchase intent is also high, with Malaysia ranking second globally for tours and hotel reservations and third globally for intention to purchase airline tickets and event tickets online.

Around half of consumers in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam intend to make travel and event purchases online, along with approximately four in 10 consumers in Thailand.

Credit card security remains a key concern for consumers across the region with five of the six Southeast Asia markets ranking above the global average with respect to their concern around providing credit card information online.

Filipinos are the most cautious when it comes to paying online by credit card (67 per cent do not trust giving their credit card information online), followed by Thais (62 per cent), Indonesians (60 per cent), Vietnamese (55 per cent), Malaysians (52 per cent) and Singaporeans (41 per cent), compared to 49 per cent of consumers globally.