Winning over today’s ‘Connected’ consumer in Asia

As the world of connected consumers grows, brands face a more challenging, complex environment today, according to the Tetra Pak Index 2017. In Asia Pacific –now home to more than half the world’s internet users and 54% of the world’s social media users, winning over today’s well informed and empowered consumers requires brands to go beyond the traditional rules of engagement.

Themed around ‘The Connected Consumer’, the 10th edition of the Tetra Pak Index explores the world of digital and online consumers, and how they are connecting with food and drink brands. Effectively reaching and engaging with this growing consumer group are critical.

In the past year, Asia Pacific alone accounted for 70% of total growth in global Internet users, 62% of the growth in social media users, and 64% of the growth in mobile social media users. These rapid growth rates are pushing brands in the region to pick up the pace of change and evolve their strategies to thrive, by initiating, joining and helping shape connected conversations.

The report also shows how the customer journey is shifting from a relatively linear process to a complex network of multiple touch points. Consumers today search for product information before, during and after buying, referring to at least four information sources pre-purchase – many of which are beyond the control of brands.

Greater connectivity and the proliferation of online platforms present a challenge for brands, as consumers expect a consistent experience and messaging across all the touchpoints where, they interact especially on social media. The third-party, user-generated content is becoming ever more important with digital now accounting for 65% of media time for the average global consumer and independent customer reviews being the second most important marketing influence, per the report.

Specifically, for this region, more than 1.5 billion people are now using social media monthly, with 95% accessing platforms via mobile devices – the highest ratio in the world1. Product research and convenience are also other key factors that motivate Southeast Asian consumers to go online to shop.

“Malaysia is one of the leaders of mobile connectivity as with close to 60% of Malaysians making up active mobile internet users. Consumers here are increasingly using their smartphones to not only consume content but also for activities such as mobile shopping. It is therefore essential for brands to rethink the strategies to woo the next set of power-spenders and engage with Connected Consumers to understand what drives them to ensure their efforts and investments can optimise and adapt swiftly to achieve maximum returns on their portfolio”, said John Jose, Marketing Director, Tetra Pak Malaysia

In addition, the report demonstrates that packaging has an important role to play in offering a gateway to greater consumer engagement. For example, digital codes printed on packages can improve transparency of traceability, allowing consumers to access information about the product right down to the source.

The package can also be transformed into a platform for two-way information flow where brands can capture specific, valuable data about their consumers as well as share more information about the product itself.

“Packaging design is an effective way to build brands through delivering a multi-sensory experience. Packaging has evolved into a key marketing tool that can be used to capitalize on connected consumers’ love for deeper brand engagements. At Tetra Pak, we are piloting the use of new digital technologies like augmented reality in our packaging to help brands attract and connect with this new generation of consumers” Jose added.

To download Tetra Pak Index 2017, go to http://www.tetrapak.com/about/tetra-pak-index