With more Filipinos starting to consider online shopping as a more
convenien goods within the comforts of their own home, Southeast Asia's leading
online shopping portal Shopee thought of delving into its own data and looking
at the factors and demographics involving the online shopping trends for
Filipinos all throughout 2019. Shopee then shared its insights for any public
eye to see upon discovering these trends which is a pretty good move in their part
and it did prior to its recent online sale event.
These trends are surprisingly intriguing in my case and tell that online
shopping in our own local shores is more prosperous than I thought. Here are Shopee's
key trends on the online shopping norm in the Philippines that I assume you
would feel surprised as well.
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| (Image Source; Shopee Philippines/Manila Republic) |
Metro Manila Rules From Then
Till Now
Since the inception of online shopping sites in the Philippines, Metro
Manila has been highly regarded and hailed as the online shopping capital of the
Philippines and it still is thanks to the growing number of orders recorded on Shopee
since the turn of the year. Of course, the provinces are never left behind as Visayas
and Mindanao see rapid growth in online shopping activity. Throughout the first
quarter of 2019, Filipinos often search for items related to Electronics,
Health and Beauty and Fashion with Xiaomi, Maybelline and Vans as the most searched
brands. Oh, and do you know that the apparent number of keyword searches within
the said period is increased by 2.5 times compared to the same period last
year. Crazy!!
Differ In Preferences And
Time
Upon further delving, Shopee found that online shopping preferences differ
across various parts of the Philippines. Health and Beauty and Electronics are
the top categories for users in Metro Manila with Xiaomi, Realme and Honor as the
leading smartphone brands. Provincial shoppers, on the other hand, prefer to
purchase products in the Fashion category considering that they benefit from a
massive assortment of products and styles available. Korean-styled apparel and
footwear are the most purchased items in Visayas and Mindanao. Meanwhile, many
Filipinos are most active in online shopping during lunch and before bed with
Metro Manila users tending to shop online between 12 noon and 2 pm while those
in Visayas and Mindanao do it from 8 to 10 pm.
More Male Online Shoppers
Than Female
Female Filipino online shoppers would be surprised to find out from
Shopee's keen insights that shopping on Shopee among male users are more than
doubled in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the same time last year. It is
more surprising for them to discover that men are more actively shopping for
not just items in the conventional categories such as Electronics and Gaming,
but also Fashion and Beauty products as well. The most surprising of them all
is that online shopping for skin care items is becoming common for men with
face masks ranking among the top 10 most purchased items among male Shopee
users in the aforementioned period.
When I learned about these trends, I felt a bit disappointed
considering that Shopee users in Metro Manila and Southern Philippines are more
active in online shopping than those in Luzon. At the same time, I am skeptical
to know if there are online shopping enthusiasts in any Luzon province who
would be more active but not enough to be at par with those in Manila, Visayas
and Mindanao. Regardless, it is satisfying to discover that online shopping continues
to thrive well in our local shores and it is possible that these trends will come
to change either by the end of the year or in the foreseeable future.
