New research from Worldpay has shown that shoppers in emerging markets such as China and India are searching for a more luxurious, personalized shopping experience via their mobile devices.
Furthermore, many shoppers in the Asia Pacific have also expressed a willingness to pay more for a product or service should the mobile channel provide a better shopping experience.
Worldpay’s research examined the viewpoints of 16,000 consumers across 10 global markets, including China, India, Japan and Australia in Asia Pacific, with a focus on their last mobile shopping experience and the factors contributing toward their decision to make a purchase via mobile.
The research showed 62% of Chinese consumers and 64% of Indian consumers are happy to pay more for an item, trip or service if the mobile user experience is better; far ahead of the global average of 41. Furthermore, 56% of consumers in India and 54% in China are more likely to shop on a mobile phone if sent a personalized push notification from a nearby store; far outweighing the global average of 35%.
With improvements made to the mobile shopping experience, more Australians are purchasing higher-end goods on their smartphones, with 36% spending over A$85 ($67) on their last purchase. In Japan, 38% of mobile shoppers spent over ¥7410 ($69) on their last purchase
Shoppers in India and China prefer purchasing via apps over mobile browsers more than any other markets in the world, at 82% vs. 18% and 80% vs. 20% respectively. This is compared to the global average of 71% vs. 29%.
Despite growth in mobile shopping in Asia Pacific, security concerns continue to hinder the full potential of mobile commerce. Australia is behind Asia in terms of mobile app adoption, with significant issues remaining around security and usability – 73% of Australian consumers say they only download apps from brands they trust. The number one reason for smartphone basket abandonment in Australia is concerns that the website wasn’t secure. In Japan, meanwhile, security is also a concern, with just 37% of consumers saying they would be happy for apps to store their payment details, against a global average of 57%.
“Shoppers in Asia’s emerging economies are active mobile users who have leapfrogged past traditional modes of online shopping and now demand a personalized, luxury, on-the-go experience in the palm of their hand,” commented Phil Pomford, general manager for Asia Pacific, Global Enterprise eCommerce at Worldpay.
“Online merchants that can deliver the right experience have much to gain, as Asian shoppers are making bigger, more valuable purchases via their smartphones and are even happy to spend more with merchants that deliver a better experience. At the same time, to capitalist on the mobile shopping opportunity, merchants must consider how to help smartphone shoppers feel secure.”
First published in Retail Tech Innovation