Bangkok--17 May--124 Communications Consulting
Cultural Divide Between Emerging and Developed Markets in Terms of Dining Out Habits; Technology Playing a Bigger Role in Decision Making Too
Tweet: Emerging markets trump developed markets in #AsiaPacific on propensity to tip — #MasterCard survey http://bit.ly/13Fxe8z
Asia’s emerging markets are more likely to tip in a restaurant than their more developed counterparts, according to a survey of consumer dining habits across the Asia/Pacific region.
The findings are taken from research conducted across 27 markets within Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa between 7 November 2012 and 2 February 2013. The report for the Asia/ Pacific[1] region included interviews with 7,678 respondents from 16 markets who were asked questions about their dining habits. The survey and its accompanying reports do not represent MasterCard’s financial performance.
According to MasterCard’s latest survey on Consumer Purchasing Priorities — Dining, consumers from Bangladesh (88%), Thailand (79%) and the Philippines (77%) are the most prevalent tippers in the region. Thailand ranked as the most generous when it came to tipping in the same survey last year, and increases were recorded in Asia’s rapidly emerging markets such as Indonesia (+10%) and India (+4%) when compared to last year.
Markets where consumers are tightening their purse strings with regard to tipping include Hong Kong (-12%), Singapore (-11%) and Malaysia (-11%).
In addition, before dining, more than one-third of consumers regularly look for online reviews before making dining out decisions. Asia’s most advanced tech markets lead the region with Taiwan, Japan and Singapore most reliant on online reviews when selecting where to eat out. It is worth noting though, that in the emerging markets in the region, namely Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh, consumers still prefer recommendations from family and friends.
Interestingly, after dining, Chinese, Malaysian and Thai consumers are the most likely to post reviews on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, with about 1 in 2 respondents in these markets reporting that they regularly post comments online following their dining experience.
Top spender: Singapore
In terms of spending, Singaporeans take the lead as the region’s top spenders on dining, with an average monthly dining spend of USD262 (approximately 7,860 baht per month). Japanese and Chinese consumers follow closely behind with an average monthly dining spend of USD225 (6,750 baht) and USD203 (6,090 baht) respectively. As in Thailand, the average monthly dining spend is USD 129, or 3,870 baht approximately. In contrast, the region’s smallest spenders — India and Indonesia — spent only USD17 and USD19, or 3% and 4% of their monthly household income on dining respectively.
“There are big differences between the various cultures in the Asia/Pacific region and their tipping habits, and it’s always interesting to see how this is reflected in the research. It is also interesting to see the convergence of the growing online connectivity of Asia/Pacific consumers and their passion for food,” says Georgette Tan, group head, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard. “Food blogs are playing an increasingly influential role in Asia’s food scene, turning both locals and tourists alike to the best eats in town and placing lesser-known eateries on the radar of the keen, tech-savvy diners.”
Going online to check for credit card promotions available also remains popular, particularly in markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong and China where about 1 in 2 respondents do so regularly.
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[1] Thailand, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Philippines.