transcosmos announces the results of Global Online Shopping Survey in 8 Cities 2025

Beyond Price: Ease of Shopping and Value Drive SHEIN and Temu Adoption

TOKYO, April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- transcosmos hereby announces that the company has conducted its proprietary Global Online Shopping Survey in 8 Cities 2025.

Visit here for Global Online Shopping Survey in 8 Cities 2025 full report (no translation available):
https://blog.trans-cosmos.co.jp/research/20250324_onlineshopping-survey.html

In this years survey, we changed the target city in the U.S. from New York to Los Angeles. In addition to current online shopping habits, the research explored future online shopping intentions, with a particular emphasis on cross-border e-commerce (including low-cost Chinese platforms), social commerce, and interest in emerging technologies.

• Survey overview 
  Method: Global online research panel, multilingual questionnaire (respective local language options available)
  Regions: Japan (Tokyo), Shanghai (China), Seoul (South Korea), India (Mumbai), Thailand (Bangkok), Jakarta (Indonesia), London (U.K.), Los Angeles (U.S.)
  Respondents: Men and women aged between 15 and 49 years old that have used online shopping (made a purchase) in the past 1 year
  Samples: 320 x 8 cities = Total 2,560
  Period: February 17 to 25, 2025
  Research agency: Cross Marketing, Inc.
• Key findings
  • Significant adoption of low-cost Chinese platforms in London, Los Angeles, and Mumbai with over 60% usage
    • Purchase experience on SHEIN, Temu and other low-cost Chinese online shopping sites was high overall, particulary in London (70%), Los Angeles (63%), and Bangkok (60%). Usage was lower in Tokyo and Jakarta, around 30%.
    • The primary driver for using these platforms is perceived affordability ("Can purchase cheaper than in my country"). Ease of use is also a significant factor. Some respondents value the availability of affordable alternatives to popular brands, even if they are not genuine. 
    • Respondants in Tokyo and Seoul, chose "Product quality is not as high as expected" and "Products were not genuine" compared to other cities, showing their concerns over product quality.
  • Social commerce gains traction With Over 50% usage, except in Tokyo 
    • When asked the reason for using social media, "To do shopping" ranked high in all cities. This was particularly significant in Jakarta, Shanghai, and Bangkok, where more than 80% use social media for shopping.
    • More than half of the respondents have used social commerce in 7 cities, excluding Tokyo, the usage rate was particularly high in Jakarta, Shanghai, Bangkok, and Mumbai.
    • Tik Tok (抖音) showed high engagement in Shanghai, Jakarta, and Bangkok (over 70%). Platforms including Instagram and Facebook are also popular, while YouTube is the leading platform in Tokyo.
  • Immersive shopping experience and shopping with AI getting attraction, Shanghai and Mumbai show high interest in emerging technologies
    • Interest in emerging technologies is generally high, especially in Shanghai and Mumbai. In Tokyo and Los Angeles, a certain number of users said they don't want to use emerging technologies. Tokyo had the least interest in new technologies with more than 50% answering the don't want to use it.
    • Key technologies of interest include immersive shopping experience (virtual try on/try out), AI powered shopping (product recommendations based on image recognition), and experience of window shopping in a virtual space. Some cities showed high demand for more interactive shopping experiences such as live commerce service and conversational shopping experience using voice recognition. Jakarta and Shanghai showed high interest in live commerce, while conversational commerce attracted shoppers in Mumbai, each exceeding 50% in respective cities.

"Low-cost Chinese online shopping sites are gaining popularity across the world, and not only for their low prices," commented Masashi Hagihara, an analyst at transcosmos Global Business Headquarters. "They are attracting users for a faster shopping experience with the ease to compare and purchase, while more consumers prioritize good value for money than brands. The role of social media is also evolving from a way to gather information to a shopping channel. This is particularly true in emerging markets in Asia, where TikTok and Instagram are used as search engines, becoming an entry point for e-commerce. There is also a growing interest in "shopping experience of the future" brought about by immersive and interactive technologies. Consumer shopping behavior is shifting to the next phase for sure. Our study revealed that consumers across the globe prioritize not only price, but also multiple factors including speed, convenience, value of experience, and asking for a more diverse shopping experience than ever."

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• Other company names and product or service names used here are trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies.

About transcosmos inc.
transcosmos launched its operations in 1966. Since then, we have combined superior "people" with up-to-date "technology" to enhance the competitive strength of our clients by providing them with superior and valuable services. transcosmos currently offers services that support clients' business processes focusing on both sales expansion and cost optimization through our 182 bases across 36 countries/regions with a focus on Asia, while continuously pursuing Operational Excellence. Furthermore, following the expansion of e-commerce market on the global scale, transcosmos provides a comprehensive One-Stop Global E-Commerce Services to deliver our clients' excellent products and services to consumers in 46 countries/regions around the globe. transcosmos aims to be the "Global Digital Transformation Partner" of our clients, supporting the clients' transformation by leveraging digital technology, responding to the ever-changing business environment. Visit us here https://www.trans-cosmos.co.jp/english/

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