Social media is a key driver for triggering product interest and purchase intent and aiding search and discovery for Asian consumers, according to The Digital Consumer View 2016 report published by global information services company Experian.
The surveys of more than 1,200 digital consumers across countries such as Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and China highlighted the importance of social media marketing to brands and enterprises, as it acts as a key driver during the entire buying cycle process, from searching for products to finding good deals and facilitating purchases online.
The report aims to help businesses to get a better understanding of how digital consumers are researching, locating and engaging with these products. It examined channels such as chat apps, SMS and email and content such as email ads, video ads, and regular ads on connected devices.
Quality over quantity
The surveys revealed that the ‘quality over quantity’ mantra continues to ring true, with relevant and targeted messages delivering better conversion rates and ROI. Social media leads the way for product marketing, but the report noted that marketers should not rely on one single channel and need to find the right mix for long-term success.
One area where social isn’t as widely used is brand engagement, where email is king for marketers in Singapore and Thailand and banner ads dominate in Indonesia. Hong Kong also adopts different methods in general compared to other countries, favouring video ads for search and discovery and purchase intent and SMS for finding deals and brand engagement.
Experian’s study also highlighted the importance of using quality data to inform marketing decisions, as a significant number of consumers provide information that isn’t accurate. For example, in Indonesia, over 90 per cent of consumers provide marketers with the wrong details for names, phone numbers, emails and addresses.
Experian Southeast Asia Managing Director Jeff Price said: “For companies to keep up with digital consumer behaviours – how they act on information – it’s absolutely vital to adopt and leverage what their consumers are providing them with every day – invaluable data. Businesses slow to act on this data will see their competitive advantage erode.”
