Traditionally, Bruneians go over to Miri or even KK to do their shopping since shopping is rather lacking in the kingdom.
These days, however, e-commerce is gaining momentum with the advent of Facebook.
From: http://www.bt.com.bn/business-national/2011/01/30/have-internet-will-shop
Have Internet, will shop
Illustration: BT/Ray de Jesus
Sunday, January 30, 2011
NO THANKS to the Internet and the convenience of online shopping, Bruneian consumers still burn a sizeable hole in their wallets despite the limited shopping option in the Sultanate.
Bruneians are now expanding the scope of their Internet use to go beyond social networking, and into shopping.
"I never used to shop in Brunei, unless there was a really nice top, or if I urgently needed a dress for a wedding. Now, with quite a number of online stores delivering to Brunei, I find that it is cheaper to shop online than it is to drive to Kiulap or Gadong to buy clothes," says Christine Yang, a teacher in Tutong.
She says the convenience of shopping in the comfort of her own home, sometimes works against her, causing her to "overspend" on items that she says "are a steal".
Facebook shopping was also an important step in the transition that brought Bruneian shoppers to go from physically shopping to online shopping. The boom in local Facebook stores happened a few years ago, with enterprising Facebook users selling everything from cosmetics, clothes, paintings, electronic gadgets and even food. "Facebook was an easy way to shop, because the people selling these items are in Brunei, they deliver it straight to you, and most of the items can't be found in Brunei and are very cheap," says Khadijah Othman, an administrative secretary in the capital.
She says the downside to shopping through Facebook was the hassle involved in making payments into the seller's bank account and then fixing a time and place to collect the items. "The wait for each shopping 'trip' was also unreliable. Sometimes it was on time, sometimes it took close to a month, but it's always at least two weeks," she adds.
Men were more picky when it came to online shopping and not many of them would randomly browse through Facebook "stores".
In the case of Jimmy Yong, he says that his online purchases were mainly made up of sneakers, electronics and electronics accessories. "I don't think I have ever bought clothing online, because clothes shopping is not really something that I enjoy doing, but I do know some friends who do their online shopping and ship it to Singapore because not a lot of these stores ship to Brunei," he says.
Yang, the teacher, says that this month, most of her Chinese New Year shopping was done online, as she found it cheaper to buy her dresses and clothing online, rather than make a trip to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, just to buy a few items of clothing. "I save on the air ticket and the hotel costs, just by shopping online," she says.
There are increasingly more stores that are now shipping to Brunei, and shoppers don't mind the currency exchange of the items, as long as they get what they want.
"Of course, with clothes, and shopping online, the disadvantage is that sometimes the clothes don't fit, but after shopping online for a while, you tend to get an idea of the sizes that each country uses and the measurements, but it is of course still risky to make purchases for clothes online," she says, adding that she would never buy jeans or pants online, because those require her to try them on.
Khadijah adds that one of the best things about buying clothes online, is that Brunei does not tax clothes purchases and so when the clothing is delivered to her house or she has to pick it up from the post office, she doesn't have to present the customs officer with a receipt of how much her shipment cost.
Electronics, on the other hand, are levied a 20 per cent tax.
However, despite the great values and numerous outlets available online, does online shopping translate to savings?
"To me it depends on the shopper. For me, I do save, because the deals that you get online for electronics such as laptops and cameras is really much cheaper than buying in Singapore even, and I do not spend my money on clothes. Since I am not an impulse shopper, I do believe that online shopping helps you save money," says Yong.
Yang says although online shopping is much cheaper, it doesn't necessarily mean she saves money. "I tend to go a bit overboard, and the items are definitely cheaper, but it doesn't mean that I buy less. I keep thinking that if I save X amount, then it's fine for me to buy more items," she says.
Whether online shopping does lead to more savings, or whether it burns a hole in your wallet, one thing is definite Bruneians now won't complain about the "lack of shopping" in Brunei.
The Brunei Times
Bruneians are now expanding the scope of their Internet use to go beyond social networking, and into shopping.
"I never used to shop in Brunei, unless there was a really nice top, or if I urgently needed a dress for a wedding. Now, with quite a number of online stores delivering to Brunei, I find that it is cheaper to shop online than it is to drive to Kiulap or Gadong to buy clothes," says Christine Yang, a teacher in Tutong.
She says the convenience of shopping in the comfort of her own home, sometimes works against her, causing her to "overspend" on items that she says "are a steal".
Facebook shopping was also an important step in the transition that brought Bruneian shoppers to go from physically shopping to online shopping. The boom in local Facebook stores happened a few years ago, with enterprising Facebook users selling everything from cosmetics, clothes, paintings, electronic gadgets and even food. "Facebook was an easy way to shop, because the people selling these items are in Brunei, they deliver it straight to you, and most of the items can't be found in Brunei and are very cheap," says Khadijah Othman, an administrative secretary in the capital.
She says the downside to shopping through Facebook was the hassle involved in making payments into the seller's bank account and then fixing a time and place to collect the items. "The wait for each shopping 'trip' was also unreliable. Sometimes it was on time, sometimes it took close to a month, but it's always at least two weeks," she adds.
Men were more picky when it came to online shopping and not many of them would randomly browse through Facebook "stores".
In the case of Jimmy Yong, he says that his online purchases were mainly made up of sneakers, electronics and electronics accessories. "I don't think I have ever bought clothing online, because clothes shopping is not really something that I enjoy doing, but I do know some friends who do their online shopping and ship it to Singapore because not a lot of these stores ship to Brunei," he says.
Yang, the teacher, says that this month, most of her Chinese New Year shopping was done online, as she found it cheaper to buy her dresses and clothing online, rather than make a trip to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, just to buy a few items of clothing. "I save on the air ticket and the hotel costs, just by shopping online," she says.
There are increasingly more stores that are now shipping to Brunei, and shoppers don't mind the currency exchange of the items, as long as they get what they want.
"Of course, with clothes, and shopping online, the disadvantage is that sometimes the clothes don't fit, but after shopping online for a while, you tend to get an idea of the sizes that each country uses and the measurements, but it is of course still risky to make purchases for clothes online," she says, adding that she would never buy jeans or pants online, because those require her to try them on.
Khadijah adds that one of the best things about buying clothes online, is that Brunei does not tax clothes purchases and so when the clothing is delivered to her house or she has to pick it up from the post office, she doesn't have to present the customs officer with a receipt of how much her shipment cost.
Electronics, on the other hand, are levied a 20 per cent tax.
However, despite the great values and numerous outlets available online, does online shopping translate to savings?
"To me it depends on the shopper. For me, I do save, because the deals that you get online for electronics such as laptops and cameras is really much cheaper than buying in Singapore even, and I do not spend my money on clothes. Since I am not an impulse shopper, I do believe that online shopping helps you save money," says Yong.
Yang says although online shopping is much cheaper, it doesn't necessarily mean she saves money. "I tend to go a bit overboard, and the items are definitely cheaper, but it doesn't mean that I buy less. I keep thinking that if I save X amount, then it's fine for me to buy more items," she says.
Whether online shopping does lead to more savings, or whether it burns a hole in your wallet, one thing is definite Bruneians now won't complain about the "lack of shopping" in Brunei.
The Brunei Times
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