TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Internet firm finds love in Indonesian air

Indonesian lovebirds cherish Valentine’s Day and other romantic moments more than people of many other countries, according to a Southeast Asian survey conducted by Japanese internet firm Rakuten

Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, February 5, 2016

Share This Article

Change Size

Internet firm finds love in Indonesian air

I

ndonesian lovebirds cherish Valentine'€™s Day and other romantic moments more than people of many other countries, according to a Southeast Asian survey conducted by Japanese internet firm Rakuten.

Indonesians are big spenders on Valentine'€™s Day and on purchases for other romantic occassions, such as wedding anniversaries or their partner'€™s birthday.

The greatest items that Indonesians splash out on is wedding anniversary gifts for their partners, spending on average US$50.7 per person, according to Rakuten'€™s second annual Valentine'€™s Day Survey, which recorded the responses of 2,500 consumers between 20 and 60 years of age from Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, with some 500 respondents from Indonesia.

Twenty-nine percent of Indonesian respondents said wedding anniversaries were the most romantic occasion of all, followed by birthdays and Valentine'€™s Day. For Valentine'€™s Day, which only 6 percent consider the most romantic day of the year, an Indonesian would spend an average of $29 on their partner or object of affection.

Rakuten Belanja Online director Yasunobu Hashimoto explained that Indonesian respondents were likely to expect gifts from their partners on such occasions, more so than their Southeast Asian peers.

Fifty-six percent of Indonesian respondents said they always expected a gift from their partner on Valentine'€™s Day or for other romantic occasions. That is the highest proportion from the five surveyed countries, with Thailand coming in a close second with 55 percent, and Singapore coming last with only 36 percent. The average regional '€œexpectation'€ is 50 percent.

Yasunobu saw the Valentine'€™s Day season as a good opportunity for e-commerce platforms such as Rakuten Belanja Online merchants to boost their sales.

'€œThis expectation held by the Indonesian respondents would also increase the amount of money they would spend online to buy gifts for their partners,'€ he said.

Indonesians'€™ taste for gifts seems to drift into the expensive side, with most respondents believing vacations, jewelry, cars and apartments are the gifts that best convey the words '€œI Love You'€, said Yasunobu.

'€œBut thankfully, some respondents said they preferred gifts that were deemed priceless, such as their partner'€™s time or even the simple declaration of love,'€ he said.

'€œIndonesians are also likely to spend more than others on their spouses, with an average of $43.30 per person, and also on themselves, averaging at $38.00,'€ he added.

However, Indonesia came last in terms of online shopping out of the five countries. Only 37 percent of Indonesian respondents said they go online to purchase gifts, compared to 45 percent in Thailand.

Regarding that discrepancy, Yasunobu said Indonesians still tended to use traditional methods when shopping for presents.

About 2,000 Indonesian vendors are active on the Rakuten Belanja Online e-commerce platform.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.