BETTER TOGETHER
In 2015, individual consumers will aggregate their actions to spur change across Asia.
Various issues still riddle Asian societies, from corruption to food scares and more. And their scale and complexity render most individuals powerless. At the same time, the proliferation of social media means there’s increasing demand for the voices of ordinary people to be heard and acted upon.
Last year we highlighted CROWD CRACKED: consumers creating crowd-powered solutions to shared problems. In 2015, this trend evolves to see smart brands/governments/institutions facilitating and empowering crowd action that has power to effect concrete change.
Could your platform, service or program help Asian consumers make things BETTER TOGETHER in 2015?
BARE ESSENTIALS
Forget access to status symbols, millions of Asians will still not have access to clean water in 2015.
Even as Asian economies thrive, it is undeniable that many still live in dismal conditions:
There are still 733 million people in APAC who live on US $1.25 per day (ADB, Sep 2014). 533 million are also still affected by high levels of undernourishment, making up 63% of the world’s hungry people in 2013 (UNESCAP, Aug 2014).
So creative solutions for people at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) will continue to be in demand in 2015. Ongoing awareness of BOP issues coupled with a rising culture of creativity and innovation is resulting in unconventional solutions that cleverly embed essential functionality into affordable everyday items.
Could you embed a BOP-relevant utility in your standard offering in 2015? See below how three businesses did just that!
LOCALIZED LANGUAGES
Brands will be expected to break all language barriers in 2015.
If 2014 was all about LOCALIZASIAN – innovations by Asia for local Asian markets – then the big opportunity in this space for 2015 is language localization.
Indeed, consumers are already expecting brands to cater to them in their local languages: 73% of consumers in Vietnam and 76% in India expect brands to provide mobile content/apps in a language they understand (Ovum, April 2014). In 2015, rising numbers will demand the same services in the global English-speaking market to be available in their own local languages.
So, with more intelligent learning platforms and the proliferation of crowd-sourced language initiatives, it’s high time you innovated in order to cater to consumers in all corners of Asia in their own local languages – take inspiration from the examples below!
MADE (CLASSY) IN CHINA
Rise of the future global capital of class from Asia.
Long disparaged by Chinese (and other Asian!) consumers, Chinese luxury brands are starting to enter the global arena. 84% of Chinese luxury consumers agree that “In the future, Chinese luxury brands will be just as good as Western luxury brands.” (AddedValue, 2014).
One key driver? Chinese consumers are building not just their bank accounts, but also their social and cultural capital. Now, those consumers are moving away from an obsession with (often foreign) luxury logos, and instead demanding local quality, authenticity, craftsmanship and heritage. Chinese brands are taking notice, and as a result China – both brands AND consumers – is gearing up to be the next global capital of class.
The takeaway? If you want to reach the new Asian luxury consumer, think local, quality, and understatement. Do it yourself, or partner with the right local operation!
AUTHENTICITY AUDITS
In 2015, Asian consumers will demand that cultural authenticity is guaranteed.
With the global brain and influx of global influences, many cities (and consumers!) across the region are experiencing a convergence in cultures, mindsets and more.
One consequence? In 2015, consumers are ever-more eager to make sure their own cultures and traditions don’t get swept away in the avalanche of globalization.
And amid faux offerings and poor imitations, consumers will turn to new, innovative tools and services that allow them to know for sure that what they’re getting is authentic tradition – whether in clothes, food, art, culture and more.
So how can you help consumers preserve tradition in 2015? The example below may be tech-fueled, but remember that AUTHENTICITY AUDITS can come in many forms (from digital services to in-store services to live experiences).
DIGITAL DISCIPLINE
Asian consumers are addicted to digital – and seeking treatment.
In 2015, ever-more digital obsessed Asian consumers will reward brands that facilitate some DISCIPLINE when it comes to using devices.
Just a couple of stats on digital and device obsession: the number of mobile cellular subscriptions in APAC is predicted to hit 3.6 billion at the end of 2014, making up around 51% of the world’s total (ITU, May 2014). Meanwhile, according to a September 2014 study by Tata Communications, 82% of Indians experience negative emotions when they do not have internet access, and on average Singaporeans say that they cannot survive more than 7.3 hours without internet.
No wonder in 2015 rising numbers of consumers will seek out services and tools to help them step (temporarily) away from their devices: for the sake of safety, social lives, sanity, and more!
So will you add to the problem, or be part of the solution? ;)
PERFECT PAYMENTS
Tech-fueled cashless payments go mainstream in 2015.
In 2015, smartphone-fueled, tap-and-go payment options and mobile wallets will spread beyond a few ‘tech savvy’ destinations and hipster hangouts, and come to mainstream utilities such as transportation and major marketplaces.
We devoted a full trend bulletin to PERFECT PAYMENTS in March. But (as with most trends!), the orgy of payment innovations around has only accelerated since then.
One indicator? Aided by mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) technology – which allows merchants to process cashless payments on their mobile phones or other wireless devices – the State Bank of Vietnam aims to increase the number of POS terminals to 250,000 by 2015 (MasterCard, June 2014).
So use the examples below to inspire you on how to unlock PERFECT PAYMENTS for your customers in 2015.
TABOO BUSTERS
Asian consumers are creating – and living by – their own value systems.
In 2015, the ongoing reimagining of old social norms and traditional lifestyles will continue across Asia. Higher levels of education, urbanization and democratized access to information (thanks to online channels) are pushing rising numbers of Asian consumers to question long-established social norms and create their own value systems.
One example? Iran, a conservative society that used to view divorces as taboo, saw 155,369 divorces in the 2013-2014 period, up 40.6% from the 2008-2009 figure (National Organization for Civil Registration, 2014). AND people are actually throwing divorce parties to celebrate!
In 2015, consumers will expect brands to reflect that new reality – and to push them and others to go further!
HERE/NOW
There are no limits to 'on-demand' demands in 2015.
2015 is the year that will see on-demand services take off across Asia. And it’s not just about Uber expanding across the region – launching in Jakarta and Manila, promoting its services in Singapore with a one-day, on-demand shirt tailoring service, we could go on…
As Asian consumers have their expectations reframed by these developments and others, on-demand will be more in-demand than ever. And that will be supercharged by the ongoing move away from permanent ownership to transient access, demanded (and delivered!) only when needed.
Subsequently, HERE/NOW services will localize and diversify: more local options encompassing more kinds of consumer desires in more markets – from on-demand laundry services, to on-demand TV, to on-demand luxury travel (see below).
So start brainstorming: which industry, market or consumer can you touch with your HERE/NOW service in 2015?
BRAND STANDS
In 2015, smart brands will call out the absurd claims, campaigns and brand poses that bug Asian consumers.
The world of consumerism is full of exaggerations and plain untruths. And in the past, most Asian consumers have simply accepted this.
But Asia is changing. In 2014, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics reported that the number of Asians enrolling in tertiary education has more than doubled since 2000. Plus, many of them study abroad, making up 53% of all international students worldwide (OECD, Sep 2014).
This growing group of Asians are more critical and outspoken than ever. One instance? September 2014 saw two Korean students cross the Han River in Seoul with a raft made of 160 unopened bags of potato chips, to highlight how much air a bag of chips contains.
In 2015, can you reach new consumers and build new relationships by taking a stand against consumerism’s many absurdities?
