School’s out and the holiday season is here. With Thanksgiving over and Christmas just around the corner, it’s that time of the year to shop for gifts for your loved ones. It is expected that 70% of Malaysian shoppers will buy more gifts this year compared to the previous year.
Internet service company, Rakuten, has conducted a survey on 500 men and women aged between 20 and 60 in Malaysia. The respondents chose online shopping as their most preferred method to purchase gifts. Eighty percent of the respondents cited convenience, while 52% agreed that online shopping allows for easier browsing and comparison. Not only that, online shopping sites also offer rebates and loyalty programmes that further attract Malaysian shoppers to shop online.
It is fair to say that Malaysians do value both the gifts they give as well as receive. Three quarters of the respondents remember what they gave gifted others, and 76% of them remember what they received for Christmas. Besides that, the survey also showed that this year end’s top three categories of purchases are fashion and accessories, food and beverages, as well as electronics and appliances.
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How much would you spend on gifts? From the survey, it is found that the biggest amount spent on Christmas gift is RM182 on partners or spouses, followed by RM176 on themselves and RM157 on their mothers. Respondents were also asked if they could buy a gift for only one person, 37% of them chose their partners while 19% of respondents chose their mother or themselves (what about fathers?).
These purchasing behaviours are expected to continue on even after Christmas as we usher into the new year. Fifty six percent of respondents cited that they will continue shopping because of discounts, the feeling of starting the year with something new, and of course, to pamper themselves after a tiring year of hard work.
On top of that, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have also become a major contributing factor to an increased amount of online shopping activity in Malaysia. Online shopping sites organise sales throughout the weekend, giving customers special offers, discounts as well as rebates.
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