Popular activities of Filipino internet users
Social media platforms are perhaps the most popular sites accessed by Filipino internet users. In fact, in 2020, Filipinos spent over four hours using social media, which was the highest across the region. Facebook and Facebook Messenger were the most used social media applications, followed by Instagram and TikTok. These applications not only boosted social interaction among Filipinos but also served as the main sources of news and relevant information.Apart from social media, Filipinos also accessed the internet to consume entertainment content. Streaming videos and music were among their leading online activities, with 77 percent using a video streaming subscription service. In addition, online gaming saw increasing popularity in recent years, which turned into a revenue-generating hobby for some.
Online shopping and mobile wallet applications
Increasing internet usage also changed the shopping and banking landscape in the country. A recent survey revealed that 22 percent of Filipino adults accessed the internet to purchase a product or service and to order food from delivery apps. This has led to the growth of e-commerce expenditures as more Filipinos were accessing a merchant’s website or shopping apps to buy products or services on any device. Across channels, e-commerce platforms and social media applications were the most preferred channels of Filipino online shoppers. Shopping on social media is particularly popular due to the ease and convenience it offers, as well as the cheaper price offerings compared to physical stores and other social commerce platforms.As Filipino consumers continue to shop online, the use of digital banks and e-wallets has also increased. Mobile wallet applications such as Gcash and PayMaya have been used for online payment and money transfers, along with built-in e-wallet apps. The number of mobile wallet users is forecast to grow in the succeeding years.
