South Korea, China Top Online Shopping Frequency

South Korea's e-commerce industry was the second most active among 19 countries surveyed during the pandemic.

dunnhumby, a customer data science company, reported that Korea ranked only behind China.

The survey of online consumption patterns was based on 7,677 respondents.

The countries involved include five in Asia, also with Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand.

There were 10 from Europe, namely Italy, Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, Norway, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.

There were four North and South Americas, the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Brazil.

The online shopping rate in Korea was found to be at 54 percent, while it was 61 percent in China.

Koreans shop an average of 5.1 times weekly.

Thailand was third with 46 percent, followed by Brazil with 42 percent, and Malaysia, 39 percent.

The average rate among the 19 countries was 29 percent, with people shopping at an average rate of 4.8 times a week.

Consumers were already gravitating toward e-commerce long before the outbreak. The pandemic is hastening the move to online shopping as malls and brick-and-mortar stores are temporarily shuttered.

COVID-19 is expected to long-ranging implications for retailers, with many consumers being reluctant to visit busy locations due to health concerns when stores reopen.