Hong Kong online shoppers are increasingly using mobiles in preference to desktop computers.
According to Visa’s 2015 eCommerce Consumer Monitor Survey, Hong Kong mobile eCommerce rose 23 per cent compared to a year ago. Some 79 per cent of Hong Kong consumers use their smartphone for browsing and 58 per cent for purchasing on the go.
Forty-three per cent of those surveyed said they browsed or shopped online while commuting and 71 per cent shop from home.
Four in five consumers have used a payment card to pay online in the past 12 months.
Despite Hong Kong’s high internet (79 per cent) and smartphone penetration (87 per cent) – the highest in the Asia Pacific region – the city is still an evolving eCommerce market relative to other 12 markets examined in Asia Pacific.
The survey classified consumers in Hong Kong as ‘Mature’ (22 per cent) who made 9.3
categories of online purchase per year, ‘Evolving’ (37 per cent) who made 5.2 categories of online purchase per year and ‘Emerging’ (35 per cent) who made 2.7 categories of online purchase per year. Bills payment (68 per cent), movies (58 per cent) and travel (56 per cent) are
top categories for online purchase.
Caroline Ada, country manager of Visa Hong Kong and Macau, said: “We are seeing a high usage and fast-growth of mobile commerce, people in Hong Kong get more comfortable using their smart devices to research and browse, more importantly in making online payments for purchase.  mCommerce should soon overtake traditional eCommerce habits, strengthening this channel of engagement between consumers and retailers.”
Overseas shopping has grown significantly, triggered by cheaper overall price compared to physical store or local website that three in four Hong Kong consumers have made at least one overseas purchase in the last 12 months, a growth rate of 22 per cent over 2014.
Popular categories are Fashion (19 per cent), Books/CDs/DVDs (17 per cent) and Health and Wellness products (16 per cent).
Looking ahead, Hongkongers are the most likely to make online purchases from retailers abroad, well above the regional average of 55 per cent, the survey concluded.