New Delhi, Apr 18 (IANS): Online shoppers in India continue to feel most secure when compared to their counterparts across the rest of the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, a Mastercard Online Shopping Survey said here on Tuesday.

According to the latest survey, India leads the Asia Pacific region with 72.1 per cent consumers in feeling secure about shopping online.

The survey revealed that more than four-fifths of the Indian consumers access the internet for online shopping while three-fourths of them tend to make online purchases using their mobile phones.

The top three reasons for buying online through mobile phones have been cited as convenience, ease of shopping on the go and an increasing number of apps that make shopping online easier.

"It is very encouraging to see Indian consumers feel increasingly secure when shopping online. This aligns very well with Mastercard's strong commitment to develop a safe and secure network for the Indian payments ecosystem," said Porush Singh, Country Corporate Officer, India, and Division President, South Asia, Mastercard.

"The Internet of Things is creating a more digitally-driven and digitally-connected world, with an estimated 300 million smart phones in use currently in India. Over the past three years alone, Mastercard has invested Rs 6,700 crore towards developing new technologies that balance the need for increased security with the desire for greater convenience in payments," he added.

In terms of consumer categories, women and those in the age bracket of 25-44 years stand out as two significant segments who are more likely to access the internet for online shopping.

Across Asia Pacific, eight out of 10 consumers who have shopped online last year intend to make at least one online purchase in the first half of 2017. This trend is led by those in the emerging markets, including China (97.3 per cent), Vietnam (96.2 per cent) and India (92.9 per cent), followed by Malaysia (92.8 per cent) and Thailand (87.1 per cent).

Detailing the online shopping behaviour trends in India, the survey said 85.1 per cent consumers consider online shopping easy and more than two-thirds of the Indian consumers purchase online for ethical reasons.

In Asia Pacific, nine in 10 consumers have made an online purchase in the three months preceding the survey, led by those in South Korea (96.7 per cent), India (95.8 per cent), Japan (95.0 per cent), Vietnam (92.0 per cent) and China (91.8 per cent).