Online shopping in Thailand: which payment methods are most popular?
In July, YouTrip Thailand teamed up with Kasikornbank to launch 3-Domain Secure 2.0 (3DS 2.0) authentication on its mobile app. The multi-currency digital wallet brand, which saw annual e-commerce transactions on its app more than quadruple over the past two years, said the new feature would provide its users with a more secure online payment experience.
But how commonly are digital wallets used as a payment method by Thai consumers when they shop online?
How do various payment methods rank in popularity among Thailand’s online shoppers?
Latest YouGov Surveys research – using an online representative sample of ~2000 Thai residents – reveals that e-wallets and cash on delivery are the most popular payment methods among online shoppers in Thailand.
One in two consumers say they use fintech services like TrueMoney Wallet, Rabbit LINE Pay, Lazada Wallet, ShopeePay and PayPal to settle their online purchases (50%), or hand over Thai baht notes when their online purchases arrive (49%).
Bank transfers are the next most popular payment method. Around two in five (39%) turn to mobile banking, while one in three (33%) tap on the interbank PromptPay system.
Credit / Debit card payments are relatively less popular, and are used by less than a fifth of online shoppers.
Do men and women prefer different online payment methods when shopping online?
Across both genders, e-wallets, cash on delivery and mobile banking are the three most popular online shopping payment methods. However, usage of credit cards for online shopping payments are noticeably higher among men (21%) compared to women (16%), while PromptPay transfers are significantly more common among women (36%) than men (29%).
How do different regions vary in their choice of online payment methods?
E-wallets (55%) and credit cards (33%) are payment methods which are significantly more popular among online shoppers residing in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region compared to other regions.
Notably, e-wallets are the most popular payment methods for online purchases in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region but ranks second in popularity in other parts of Thailand. Credit card payment is much less common among online shoppers residing in the Northeastern (10%) and Southern (57%) regions.
Cash on delivery is the most popular payment method across most regions in Thailand – especially among online shoppers residing in the Southern (57%) and Northern (55%) regions – but is significantly less popular among Bangkok Metropolitan Region (47%) residents.
Additionally, PromptPay is relatively more popular among online shoppers who live in Thailand’s Northern region (39%) but is much less popular among Central region (28%) residents, including those residing in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region (30%).
Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online in July 2023, with an online representative sample of 2,028 adults (aged 18+ years) in Thailand, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by gender, age, region and monthly household income to be representative of the adult online population in Thailand (18 years or older), and reflect the latest National Statistical Office of Thailand (NSO) population estimates. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Serviced.
Cover Photo by Wera Rodsawang
