Singapore people would rather shop online with a mobile device during the festive season. The survey, commissioned by PayPal was conducted from 1st to 11th of November 2013 among 500 or more online respondents in each of 9 countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Singapore, United Kingdom, and United States).
PayPal Study: Shoppers Revolt Against Holiday Stress, Buy Gifts from Home Instead
Mobile and online shopping are major draw to alleviate holiday-induced stress this season and ensure best deals
Singapore, 11 December 2013 – PayPal today revealed the findings of its 2013 Global Holiday Shopping Study of consumers in Singapore, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, , United Kingdom, and United States. The study discovered the overall top holiday shopping stress for consumers this season is waiting in long lines to pay for things — with two thirds of global holiday shoppers agreeing so. Other top consumer concerns range from the unfavorable swarm of holiday crowds and traffic, to unruly shoppers who push or cut queues, and cranky cashiers.
Among the respondents, Singaporeans disliked overcrowded transportation (67%), feeling pressured to shop in a hurry (43%), not getting personalized service (23%), and having too many tourists in the holiday crowd (23%). Those in the U.K. (76%) are most likely to dislike waiting in long lines to pay more so than any other country. British shoppers also take the lead when it comes to being frustrated by people ahead of them who are slow (52 %) in a holiday crowd. Americans agree (70%) that long lines are the worst feature, but they also dislike finding out-of-stock items (49%) and too many children in the store (32%). Russians (62%) most hate being jostled or pushed in a crowd, along with 44% disliking people who are drunk or anti-social. Germans are impatient, with half (50%) of them dislike walking or travelling very slowly.
Shopping stressors that put a damper on goodwill this holiday season are not limited to those from external influence. While almost nine in ten Singaporeans admit witnessing some embarrassing behavior during holiday shopping, nearly half of respondents (44%) confess to embarrassing themselves too. Almost one in six, of Singaporean consumers reported yelling at a family member while holiday shopping, cutting people off when driving in traffic and pushing ahead of others in a queue. Those in the U.K. (22%) were more likely than any other country to do so. Of the one in seven who said they cut people off in holiday traffic globally, Americans are the most likely (19%) to commit the roadside offense.
Anything but Holiday Traffic
PayPal’s holiday shopping study also demonstrates that getting to the store is equally stressful as being in it. Consumer frustrations about holiday traffic include being stuck in traffic jams or slow moving traffic, not being able to find parking spots and the time it takes to get anywhere. 39% of respondents in Singapore said they would give up presents altogether rather than drive in holiday traffic. Among interesting alternatives, 22% would rather run 10 km and 13% would rather wax their legs.
Americans were more likely than any other country’s respondents to prefer spending a day with their mother-in-law (17%) than drive in holiday traffic.
Other preferred alternatives to driving in holiday traffic worldwide include:
- Watching Miley Cyrus twerk (13%)
- Have your hair shaved off (8%)
- Get in a Twitter feud with Kanye West (6%)
Consumers Say Mobile Shopping Alleviates Their Pain
Across the countries surveyed, most (81%) consumers plan to do their holiday shopping on their smartphone, tablet, or online this year. A quarter of respondents indicated this would be their first time shopping for the holiday season on a smartphone or tablet. Three in ten said they plan to do more than half their holiday shopping online or on their mobile device. Half of consumers worldwide bought earlier this year and four in ten will shop online or by phone to avoid holiday shopping crowds.
In Singapore, (79%) of people said they would use a mobile device or online to shop this holiday.
The main reasons why holiday shoppers in Singapore are turning to tablets and smartphones range across making shopping faster, easier and more convenient:
- Not having to wait in long lines (63%)
- Being able to shop at odd hours of the day or night (55%)
- Being able to comparison shop online after seeing something at a store (49%)
Conversely, half of consumers worldwide bought earlier this year and four in ten will shop online or by phone to avoid holiday shopping crowds.
Why Shopping Online is More Fun
Holiday shopping online remains popular this year, primarily due to practicality of consumers being able to holiday shop on their own time and convenience, with no crowds. 67% of Singaporeans are most likely to shop online so that they can take their time, with 56% of them highlighting that online shopping ensures no crowds. 53% are most likely to shop online to save money through comparison shopping sites and 48% do so, so that they can shop at a convenient time. Italians (63%) are most likely to shop online to save money through comparison shopping sites, while those in the UK (61%) are most likely to schedule picks- ups of things they ordered online for convenience.
Shop ’til dawn? More than half of consumers in Singapore (58%) prefer to shop online at odd hours of the day or night. Singaporeans are also shopping online because they enjoy comfort of home for the following reasons:
- Don’t have to put up with bad weather (38%)
- Wear comfortable clothes 34%)
- Don’t have to drive (31%)
- Watch TV while shopping (27%)
- Don’t have to be judged for what I buy (27%)
What Christmas Stressors Mean for Retailers
“The most compelling implication coming from this year’s holiday study is the next step for retailers worldwide to accommodate increasingly mobile and online consumer shoppers,” said Lawrence Chan, Vice President of Asia Pacific Merchant Services and General Manager of Southeast Asia & India, PayPal. “Adopting a mobile mindset is now a critical component for stores to capture customers who focus on price and simplicity.” He adds, “It’s interesting that 63% of Singaporean shoppers we surveyed will shop online or by phone this year to avoid waiting in long lines with the holiday shopping crowds”.
As shoppers turn to mobile and online platforms to buy gifts this holiday season and those in years to come, PayPal expects that the shift will have substantial impact on the traditional in-store retail environment within the next decade. Specifically, PayPal predicts the end of shopping lines and the advent of the first cashless Christmas. An increasingly mobile shopping market demands that brick-and-mortar stores adapt, making the implementation of “online” experiences for in-store shoppers essential to stay competitive. For example, no-line payment options and tablet point-of-sale check out will become more important than ever to draw customers.
“Regardless of whether they are buying gifts in person or from a smartphone, holiday shoppers worldwide can use PayPal for an easier, more convenient and efficient experience,” adds Chan.
About the Survey:
Reputation Leaders, an independent market research firm, conducted an online survey of 4,524 consumers aged 16 – 64 about their holiday shopping plans leading up to the 2013 holiday season.
The survey, commissioned by PayPal was conducted from November 1-11, 2013 among 500 or more online respondents in each of 9 countries (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Singapore, United Kingdom, and United States).
The survey was conducted in the primary language of each country and the mix of respondents was representative of the adult population of each country. The margin of error for the total sample of adults (N=4,524) is + 1.5% at the 95% level of confidence. The margin of error for each country (N=500) is +/- 4.4% at the 95% level of confidence. The global online panel services of Research Now were used for fieldwork.
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About PayPal
PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid. The service gives people simpler ways to send payments without sharing financial information, and with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts (where available) or credit cards. With 137 million active accounts in 193 markets and 26 currencies around the world, PayPal enables global commerce, processing almost 8 million payments every day. Because PayPal helps people transact anytime, anywhere and in any way, the company is a driving force behind the growth of mobile commerce and expects to process $20 billion in mobile payments in 2013. PayPal is an eBay (Nasdaq:EBAY) company and contributed 40 percent of eBay Inc.’s revenues in 2012. PayPal is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. and its international headquarters is located in Singapore. More information about the company can be found at www.paypal-media.com.
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