The majority of online shoppers across global markets such as China, Singapore, Australia, and the UK are turning to their mobile phones to make their purchases. Some 57% also make cross-border buys, with consumers in China and the US mostly doing so from merchants in each other's market. 

Online shoppers across 14 global markets profiled in PayPal's Borderless Commerce 2022 report currently tap their smartphones to make purchases, including 96% in China, 84% in Singapore, 81% in the UK, 78% in the US, 77% in Japan, and 69% in Australia. Conducted by Ipsos, the survey polled 14,000 respondents who made online purchases between December 2021 and January 2022. 

Across the board, 46% said they were more likely to buy from retailers that offered virtual or digital experiences. This figure hit a high 72% amongst shoppers in China, according to the report. 

The study also indicated that 42% of all online consumers now were more comfortable making cross-border purchases than they were in 2020, driven in part by features such as fraud protection, local currency payment option, and multiple payment methods. A clear return policy also helped drive the confidence of 28% who made cross-border purchases. 

In Singapore, a higher 79% shopped cross-border--almost double the number who did so before the global pandemic--with 59% buying products from China, while 29% purchased from merchants in the US and 19% from South Korea. 

Over in China, 43% of online shoppers made cross-border purchases, with the 38% buying from the US, 34% from Japan, and 27% from South Korea. 

In the US, 41% of online shoppers chose to buy internationally, with 27% purchasing from merchants in China, while 11% shipped by Canada and 9% from the UK. And when they shopped cross-border, 75% of US consumers did so via online marketplaces, while 45% bought directly from the retailer's store or website and 37% turned to social media marketplaces.

Some 85% in China also chose to make their cross-border purchases via online marketplaces, while 59% did so on the retailer's website and 57% on a brand's website. 

Singapore's online consumers showed similar preferences, with 84% making their cross-border purchases via online marketplaces, while 36% chose to do so via the brand's website and 34% on a retailer's website. 

Across the board, with inflation pushing prices worldwide, 61% of respondents in the PayPal study said they would put up with longer shipping times for a better deal.

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