Malaysians to continue ‘new normal’ habits post-pandemic: Visa

• Almost nine in 10 of Malaysians use home delivery services; 40% shopped online for the first time
• Four in 10 Malaysians look forward to international trip post-Covid, domestic travel

A FULL year has passed since the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in movement control orders (MCOs) and lockdowns in Malaysia, and it would appear that individuals and businesses have adapted to restrictions and MCO guidelines, creating new lifestyles in the process.

This can be inferred from Visa’s Consumer Payments Attitudes Study, which found that four in 10 Malaysians shopped online through websites or apps for the first time.

And more than three in 10 made their first online purchase using social media channels.

The study,  conducted between August and September 2020, also found that 88% of Malaysians use home delivery services, 36% of which are first-time users, Visa said in a statement.

Many Malaysians have opted to shop on digital commerce platforms as the study found that online shopping through mobile applications and websites grew by 83%, while shopping via direct delivery over phone orders increased by 65%, the payment giant said.

Malaysians are also increasing their shopping activities at online marketplaces (48%) and home-based businesses (44%), Visa noted.

Visa’s study additionally found that Malaysians have formed habits that limit physical exposure to keep them protected from the virus, including wearing a face mask, avoiding crowded spaces and shared services, making payments digitally, shopping online, and supporting local or home-based businesses.

“Personal safety has become a priority for consumers. We believe that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, digital commerce and consumer payment behaviours have transformed and will soon become the new normal,” Ng Kong Boon, country manager for Visa Malaysia.

“The pandemic has accelerated the nation towards a cashless society as we see more new users of digital commerce and more Malaysians carrying less cash in their wallets compared to pre-Covid-19 period.”

Ng said based on VisaNet data, one in five active Visa cardholders who did not make an e-commerce purchase in 2019 made their first online shopping purchase during first half of last year.

The study also indicated that the pandemic fuelled a 63% increase in contactless card payments amongst contactless payment users, Ng added.

Ng explained that for every 10 transactions, Malaysian cardholders made an average of seven contactless payment transactions.

He added that as Malaysians become more particular about physical hygiene contactless payments will enable them to transact in a secure and seamless environment.

“This is an opportunity for the country to grow more cashless payments across a wider spread of everyday categories in the year to come,” he argued.

Visa’s Consumer Payments Attitudes Study also found travel as the top category that most consumers most look forward to spending on when borders open.

Specifically, 43% of Malaysians look forward to making international trips post-Covid, while 39% anticipate spending on domestic travel. Meanwhile, 14% said they would like to do staycations in their own cities.