Online shopping has gained popularity in Singapore.

Nearly 2 in 3 Singaporeans, or 64 per cent of respondents in a survey said they now access the internet for online shopping.

The survey, conducted by MasterCard, covered 8,500 respondents across 15 markets: Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines,
Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the UAE.

And the ladies are the more prolific online spenders, with 68 per cent of female respondents surveyed shopping online, compared to only 60 per cent of males. They purchased an average of 5 items online in the last three months, whereas male shoppers purchased an average of 4.2 items.

And the most commonly purchased items? Airline tickets, hotel accommodations, movie or concert tickets, ladies clothing and accessories, and books and art, with ladies clothing and accessories and airline tickets triggering the most number of impulse buys.

For shoppers who have resisted making online purchases, they cite their preference for shopping in-store where physical products are displayed as the main reason for not going virtual.

Online shoppers indicated that factors such as availability of convenient payment methods, secure payment facilities and price and value are the most important factors that influence their decision to buy from the web.

The survey also included shopping habits through mobile phones for the first time. Only 12 per cent of respondents in Singapore made a purchase in the last three months.