I

ndonesians shop online mostly to buy fashion, cosmetic and electronic products; airline tickets; and tour packages according to a new survey conducted by Visa Worldwide Indonesia.

The survey indicated that Indonesian online shoppers spent US$500 per year on average on buying airline tickets and accommodation and about $194 per year on fashion products and cosmetics last year.

'€œNo one can deny that travelling has become a need. People always need holidays in the hustle and bustle of their lives, especially in big cities like Jakarta,'€ said Visa president director Ellyana Fuad on Tuesday. '€œSimilar to holidays, fashion and cosmetics have also become a need,'€ she added.

The survey was conducted last year on 516 respondents through an interview and group discussion held in Jakarta, Bandung, Bekasi, Depok (West Java), Tangerang (Banten), Surabaya (East Java), Semarang (Central Java), Medan (North Sumatra), Makassar (South Sulawesi) and other big cities across the archipelago.

The respondents are aged above 18 years and are actively involved in online shopping through credit and debit cards.

Based on the survey, Visa estimated online shopping in the country would grow by around 40 percent this year and 53 percent next year, from 23 percent the previous year.

'€œWe believe online shopping will grow sharply in the future because of the increasing middle class in the country,'€ said Ellyana.

Middle-class people require efficiency in their business transactions so they will optimize Internet connections to shop for commodities or pay bills. Due to the bright economic outlook, the Indonesian middle class will grow and their needs of online shopping will follow, Ellyana explained.

The projected sharp increase in the number of the online shoppers was supported by the country'€™s demographics, said Ellyana, adding that Indonesians are mostly young and active people with an average age of 28.

'€œThe young are different than the old. Young people are really familiar with the Internet and they use it not only to contact their friends but also to shop for goods. This will grow
e-commerce in the country.'€

The survey showed online shoppers mostly preferred using credit cards as their payment method instead of money transfers and Internet banking as they can pay by instalments via credit card.

The survey also said that out of 10 online shoppers, nine used personal computers and laptops when they browsed and shopped online.

'€œOnline shoppers prefer to use these things rather than cell phones. They tend to use cell phones to share information instead of for online shopping,'€ said Ellyana. (alz)