Within the past 12 months, almost 80 percent of internet users across Asia Pacific have made an online purchase and spent more than USD 3.000 on average for this purpose, a study indicates.

Of these, almost 60 percent preferred to pay via Visa credit and debit cards. When asked about the advantages of making purchases on the internet, 88 percent of those involved in the study mentioned the ability to shop at any moment, 83 percent referred to best prices and 82 percent cited the possibility to shop easily. In terms of e-commerce categories, digital entertainment ranks highest in terms of consumers' preferences, with 59 percent of Asia Pacific internet users purchasing such products online, followed by travel (51 percent) and fashion (49 percent). Indian internet users were the most avid buyers of digital entertainment, with 76 percent of them buying such products and services. For the period under review, Asia Pacific internet users have spent the highest amount of money (USD 812 on average) for online travel services, such as airline and rail tickets, hotel accommodation and travel packages.

The countries with the most frequent online buyers for the last 12 months are Japan (99 percent) and Korea (93 percent), while Australian and Singaporean internet shoppers have spent the highest amount of money in the region: an average spending of USD 4.160 and USD 3.480 respectively for online purchases. I

n Japan, South Korea and India the average online spending reached USD 3.175, USD 3.027 and USD 2.147 respectively. In terms of cross-border transactions, Hong Kong registers the highest percentage of internet users who have made a purchase on a website from another country (75 percent).

Average online spending in the past 12 months

1.   Australia - US $4,160
2 .  Singapore - US $3,480
3.   Japan - US $3,175
4 .  South Korea -US $3,027
5.   India - US $2,147
6.   Hong Kong -US $1,698

The survey is titled 'E-Commerce Tracking Survey' and it was conducted by Visa.