Fashion products top the most popular online shopping items in Thailand, while many industries are gravitating towards digital channels to boost sales, particularly grocery and electric appliances, according to a recent survey by market research firm Nielsen.
In a related survey, e-commerce giant Lazada has indicated female shoppers are the biggest bargain hunters online.
According to the "Nielsen Consumer Media View" quarterly consumer survey, purchases of fashion products, such as clothes, shoes and accessories, tallied 206% growth from 2019, the year before the start of the pandemic.
The survey gauged the opinions of more than 9,000 people in Thailand.
Trailing fashion products was groceries, cosmetics and electric appliances.
The survey found health products, such as supplements and vitamins, was the fastest-growing category of products customers are buying online, a jump of 798% from 2019.
The pandemic was attributed for the growth as consumers became more health-conscious and adopted health-promoting behaviours, said the survey.
According to Nielsen, as more people work from home, food delivery services boomed, with related apps experiencing 647% growth from 2020.
Convenience and speed are other reasons Thais are turning to online food ordering services.
According to data from Nielsen Ad Intel, an ad spend monitoring service, digital advertising has become a major trend in Thailand.
Digital ad spending has grown 11% from 2020 with many industries shifting towards digital channels, especially groceries and electrical products.
Digital advertising is a channel that netizens trust, with 41% considering buying a product after they see it advertised online, and 38% buying a product after seeing an online ad, according to Nielsen. This reinforces that digital channels are accepted by Thai shoppers, the company indicated.
As brands face challenges reaching the right consumers because privacy standards are tightened, Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings enables brands to see whether ad targeting is relevant to the audience and a good return on ad investment, said the company.
Meanwhile, a recent regional consumer survey by Lazada and Milieu Insight found female shoppers are the biggest bargain hunters.
More than 90% of Thai females surveyed aged 16-24 indicated they are spending more online during the pandemic.
Some 52% of the Thai female shoppers surveyed said they are keen to wait for a discount. While this group would add to their online cart, they would not check out until they get a discount deal, the survey found.
Lazada Thailand's 10th birthday campaign -- a 10-day sale that ended on April 5 -- saw 65% of female shoppers purchasing products during the first two hours, when the biggest discounts were being offered, Lazada said.