How consumers in Southeast Asia are looking to spend during Hari Raya

As we wrap up with our Chinese New Year celebrations, it seems that much of the Southeast Asia landscape is already moving on the anticipating the upcoming Eid-Ul-Fitr – or better known as Hari Raya across the region.

According to Milieu Insight’s survey of 1,300 people conducted in January 2023 across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia it was found that most consumers are likely to kickstart their shopping in March.  

A large segment (eight out of 10) will be going online for their shopping, with Shopee emerging as one of the most popular platforms in the region.  In Malaysia and Indonesia, consumers prefer to shop on a brand’s website but in Singapore retail still plays a big role.

E-wallets have been voted the most popular payment method in Malaysia and Indonesia, with six out of 10 shoppers intending to use it for online shopping. Coming in close after eWallet payments as a mode of payment, a sizable number of Indonesia customers still prefer to pay cash on delivery.

Majority Malaysians (39%) are looking to start buying their household needs and hampers for Hari Raya in March. There is an almost equal divide in people who will start making their purchases in February and April. Surprisingly, a whopping 19% of respondents said they will not be buying household needs for this year’s festive season.

To pay for these purchases, there is an equal split in Malaysians’ preference for cash on delivery and debit card, at 47%. However, the largest share went to eWallet at 63%. Around 19% opt for credit card, 13% for PayPal and 11% for the buy-now-pay-later method.

In their decision-making process, Malaysians are most concerned about the price of products (81%), followed by their quality (63%) and the discounts available (62%). They also consider halal certification (41%), convenience of the purchasing process (39%), online reviews (26%), recommendations by family and friends (24%), loyalty program (14%) and celebrity endorsement.

Regional outlook

Meanwhile, 55% of Indonesian shoppers expressed their interest to shop for clothes while 57% will be purchasing household necessities and hampers.

In Singapore on the other hand, only 19% plan on using cash-on-delivery to ship online for clothes and 26% for hampers.

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