Two in five online transactions are paid through smartphones

Consumers' trust towards e-commerce is growing.

Two in five Singaporeans with internet access made their most recent online purchase on mobile, according to market think tank Kantar TNS.

Based on its latest Connected Life study, in terms of overall online shopping behaviour, Singapore is one of the most advanced e-commerce markets in the region, as 61% of the total population has made an online purchase via a connected device such as a laptop, desktop, tablet or mobile.

The firm said consumers are becoming more trusting of the online e-commerce environment.

The fastest growing categories for e-commerce in Singapore across all devices are food and drink, hygiene products such as deodorants and oral care, and financial products.

The food and drink category is one of the key drivers of m-commerce habits, as fast food services such as Deliveroo and Uber eats are more likely to be purchased via mobile, whilst grocery transactions such as Redmart are made via desktop or laptop.

Kantar TNS Singapore managing director Nishant Kaushal said, "We’re also seeing that the e-commerce environment is becoming more varied and diverse – from apps like Carousell that facilitate C2C exchanges, to fast food apps like Deliveroo that are normalising online payments."

"Our tracking studies show that while payments with credit or debit cards are still most commonly used for digital payments, mobile wallets such as DBS PayLah!, Singtel Dash and Samsung Pay have gained significant momentum in Singapore in the past year," he added.

Kantar TNS said Singaporeans are more likely to shop via mobile than their European counterparts, where only 24% made their last purchase through their smartphone.

However, emerging markets lead the way when it comes to m-commerce. The study recorded results from Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam at 93%, 93%, and 86%, respectively.