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The COVID-19 pandemic has put restrictions on how people interact today, as the
COVID-19 coronavirus can be easily spread through air droplets between human to
human. Technology devices have come into play in easing human interactions. A large
group of consumers prefer using digital payments via technology devices and services
for their convenience (83%) and to avoid physical contact with other people
and merchants (82%).
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However, while there is an increase in preference and usage of digital payments via technology devices and services, many consumers (69%) think that there are not enough merchants that accept digital payments, predominantly merchants in Thailand (83%) and Indonesia (77%).
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Many countries have imposed a lockdown or restrictions on the movement of people, so consumers are spending more time indoors and at home. This has led to a rapid uptake of internet usage, where many consumers (65%) plan to upgrade their internet service, especially consumers from low-income households (72%) and consumers in Indonesia (86%) and Thailand (79%).
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In general, consumers from high-income households show greater interest in increasing usage of digital payments (88%) and in buying/renewing health insurance online post-COVID-19 (71%).
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Consumers in Japan largely do not see much change in their habits in high usage of technology devices and services due to COVID-19 as they had great technology adoption, even before COVID-19, compared to other countries in Asia-Pacific.