KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 — Only 29 per cent of Malaysian online shoppers were satisfied with the goods they bought online over the last 12 months, a recent survey by online marketplace Rakuten Online Shopping reported.

The result of Rakuten Smart Shopper Survey commissioned by the firm which was released on Friday, also showed that the rest of the consumers polled were mostly dissatisfied because the goods did not match their expectations.

“Shopping is not only about convenience, but also about entertainment and discovery. Be it online or offline, it is critical for consumers to make smart decisions by evaluating the credibility and reliability of merchants,” Rakuten Online Shopping president and CEO Masaya Ueno said in a statement here.

“Choosing legitimate, reputable and secure online shopping sites while having clarity of the product offerings before they proceed with the purchase will ensure that the overall shopping experience is not affected.”

Nearly half of the respondents at 48 per cent said they were unhappy with their purchases because the products they bought looked different when they arrived, when compared to what they were advertised as.

In addition, 29 per cent of the consumers polled said their dissatisfaction was caused by the poor quality of the products.

The expectation mismatch was likely been caused by the lack of interaction between consumers and merchants, as the survey found that 76 per cent of Malaysians polled never or rarely interacted during their purchases.

“Consumers are missing a beat here. They are spending time online and purchasing products without asking questions,” Masaya commented.

“Consumers should expect the same experience they enjoy from their favourite local shops, which means talking to the experts and building a sense of trust in the merchants and the products. The retailers that are smart will be able to offer this.”

In addition, nearly one-third or 30 per cent of Malaysians polled said they did not complete their online purchases after they decided to research the products further before buying them.

The survey by Redshift Research in May 2013 polled over 2,000 consumers including 490 from Malaysia, 508 from Indonesia, Taiwan (506), and Thailand (504).

Japan-based Rakuten entered Malaysia’s e-commerce market in September last year, its third foray in Southeast Asia after Thailand in 2009 and Indonesia in 2011.