Bangkok--4 Oct--PC & Associates Consulting
Today Google Thailand and IPSOS have released new research that gives a fascinating snapshot of just how large a role the internet plays in Thai consumers' lives in 2016.
For decades, Asia Pacific marketers looked to the U.S. to shape how we think of the online world — but we're on the cusp of a seismic shift.
India recently surpassed the U.S. to become the second largest online population behind China, (Source: Mary Meeker, 2016)
Asia Pacific is becoming the world leader in digital ad spend at 34% (eMarketer, 2016) this region has now become the epicenter of all things digital. The driving force behind this change is mobile.
Asia Pacific's consumers are leading the way especially when it comes to mobile and the region's marketers are predicted to take the #1 mobile ad spend spot globally by 2017 (eMarketer, 2016).
We partnered with IPSOS to learn more about Asia Pacific and Thai consumers' micro-moments, the intent-rich moments when people turn to their smartphones to learn, discover, or buy something.
Key findings:
Asia Pacific has four of the world's top 10 markets for smartphone adoption with Singapore and South Korea are tied for fourth at 91%. And nine countries in Asia already have the same or a higher smartphone ownership rate than the U.S. (72%) Thailand is catch up fast at 70% (up from 64% last year).
Here are four insights we've gleaned from the research:
Insight #1: Asia's consumers know what they want, and they want it now
Asian consumers make decisions quickly. In Thailand and Vietnam 97% of smartphone users say that online research has contributed to making purchase decisions more quickly now than they did a few years ago.
Insight #2: In Asia, brand loyalty is built moment-by-moment
Asia Pacific's mobile-first consumers are open to new brands, which is exciting news for marketers. 89% of Thai smartphone users said they aren't absolutely certain of the specific brand they want to buy when they begin looking for information online.
Insight #3: Helpful brands come out on top
Whether it's a YouTube channel filled with helpful mobile video or a mobile app with localized content, it's clear that consumers in Asia prefer helpful brands. In fact, 85% of smartphone users in Thailand -- the highest rate in Asia-Pacific — are more likely to buy from companies that provide instructional video content, compared to just 48% of their American counterparts.
Insight #4: Mobile boosts e-commerce and in-store sales
Mobile allows consumers to take valuable actions like looking up directions and placing phone calls to a business they'd like to patronize. This is especially true in Thailand where 91% of smartphone users — again, the highest rate in the Asia-Pacific region — have used a store locator. Mobile doesn't just bring customers to the store; it also guides their experience right up through the checkout queue. 43% of Thai smartphone users visit a store after seeing a relevant message from the company on their smartphone, and then a whopping 91% of them continue to consult their phones while in stores.
This is just a sample of the findings of the research, for even more insights, please check out Think with Google.