According to Google, Asia is now in the lead for smartphone engagement and e-commerce.

Google releases new research findings on smartphone usage, pointing towards the fact that Asia is leading the world in smartphone use and engagement. This also includes many other online shopping and viewing behaviours.

Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore are the top five countries in the world where smartphone usage is higher than computers. Survey results show that 35% of Malaysian users say they exclusively use their smartphones and no other device to access the Internet, making Malaysia the number one country in the world when it comes to smartphone internet access exclusivity.

The Consumer Barometer research also show findings from general online behaviour. Malaysians own at least 1.2 Internet-enabled devices, showing the importance of using more than one device to achieve a task.  Malaysians use the Web for various online research and purchase, such as searching on reports, purchasing flight tickets, electronic items, cinema tickets, insurance, and etc, or even do both.

Its surprising to see that no country in the West show up on the ‘smartphone trend’ radar.

Sajith Sivanandan, Managing Director of Google Malaysia comments: “It’s amazing to see Malaysia in the Top 5 global mix. This is a massive wake up call to any business in Malaysia without a mobile-optimised site or app. In 2014, this is no longer a viable approach – you’re effectively slamming your shop door in the face of customers. It’s vital for every business to think mobile first in the context of a consumer’s daily life.”

For Sajith, Malaysia has seen the shift to mobile taking place and, thus, this growing trend cannot be ignored. Savvy businesses need to catch up with the consumer to stay relevant in this fast-paced environment.

These are just some of the insights contained in the research, others can be unearthed via the free online tool at www.consumerbarometer.com.