Fifty per cent of Singaporeans regularly use their mobile devices for shopping, according to a credit card company survey.

Two out of 10 respondents to the Visa 2015 Consumer Payment Attitudes Survey say they prefer shopping through a mobile device (mCommerce) over other online channels.

Popular categories are movie tickets (35 per cent), food deliveries (32 per cent) and fashion accessories (20 per cent).

Most of those who engage in mCommerce say they started making such purchases only a year ago.

Another finding is that there is a growing preference among Singaporean shoppers to use payment cards rather than cash – 76 per cent, compared to 58 per cent in 2014. And 49 per cent of respondents report having more payment cards in their wallet now compared to five years ago.

Meanwhile, 20 per cent more Visa card-holders in Singapore were buying online in November and December than during the same period in 2014. Further, 70 per cent said they shop online at least once a month, compared to 59 per cent in 2014 (the regional average in South-east Asia is 68 per cent.