Three-quarters of consumers across Asia-Pacific (75%) prefer brands that offer discounts and benefits to frontline health workers, while 73% stated they want brands to include information on how they are responding to COVID-19 and to communicate with compassion and empathy during this time, according to new research from Rakuten Advertising.


The report, The Road to Recovery: 2020 e-Commerce in Asia-Pacific, also found that more than half of APAC consumers who chose to shop internationally this year chose Chinese retailers as their top choice for making international purchases.

Most Asia-Pacific consumers prefer to purchase from international retailers for more innovative products and faster access to new items. However, 62% of Singaporeans claim that high international shipping costs is a deterrent from completing an online purchase.

The opportunity of shopping online from the comforts of being home, has resulted in more people discovering new brands overseas. 78% of Chinese consumers opted to shop from international brands because they believe overseas retailers offer more genuine and authentic products, whereas 87% of Malaysians chose international sites for a greater selection of goods.


Increasingly, more Asia-Pacific consumers are discovering new brands through online search (64%) compared to recommendations from friends and family (40%) which, traditionally, have been the most reliable source.

In addition, most Asia-Pacific consumers (72%) also closely follow influencers and bloggers, with Indian, Chinese and Malaysian shoppers stating that they are highly likely to be influenced by these content creators.

Rakuten Advertising’s SVP of Asia-Pacific, Stuart McLennan said whilst the pandemic has unfortunately resulted in more consumers being confined to their homes or geographical locations, online services such as food and grocery delivery, ‘buy online pick-up in-store’ and video-on-demand (VOD) have, undoubtedly, gained popularity, with consumers showing that these new habits are likely here to stay

“Retailers should ensure they are complementing their online presence with a strong and tailored digital strategy to enable brand discovery and encourage conversion,” he added.


Rakuten Advertising surveyed 5,000 consumers from 10 markets across the Asia-Pacific region to identify shopping peaks in 2020. 

Sourced from Rakuten Advertising