A new study shows that 23 per cent of today’s most digitally savvy people live in the Asia Pacific region, which includes Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
These ‘super connected’ APAC consumers are distinguished by unusually high engagement with social media – global sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as regional networks, says GfK.
“Super connected consumers are not the mainly male, youthful ‘techies’ that we might have stereotyped them as in the past,” said Jodie Roberts, APAC regional director for GfK consumer trends.
“Across the region, almost one in every two is a female, although there are certainly differences when we go by individual markets. For instance, while super connected consumers are predominantly (59 per cent) females in Australia, they are largely males in India (70 per cent),” she said.
In Asia Pacific, the largest groups of super connected consumers reside in Taiwan (37 per cent) and South Korea (24 per cent ), where Internet infrastructure is well established and technology is deeply embedded in the lives of the population.
Some 45 per cent of these highly connected consumers in the region are over the age of 30, and over half (56 per cent) have a university or higher level of education, while 54 per cent belong to the medium-high or high income brackets. In addition, nearly half (48 per cent) are women.
The study established some common online behavioral patterns exhibited by super connected consumers in Asia Pacific. Over a quarter (28 per cent) of them post reviews of products and services they have engaged, while over two in five (44 per cent) spend time reading reviews posted by others as an integral part of their decision-making process.
Moreover, super connected consumers are also twice as likely to use instant messaging (IM) tools compared to the general population. This is particularly so for those in Taiwan, where over three-quarters (76 per cent) of consumers fall into this group of extremely active mobile phones users. For instance, four in five of them send and receive photos frequently and well over half download and use mobile apps. They are also over three times more likely to save money by using coupons, proving that they are indeed a savvy group.
“We are witnessing a new and exciting type of influential super connected consumer who is more technically adept than we have seen before,” said Roberts.
“They fully embrace technology and use these systems to network, form and expand relationships, as well as to consult and express opinions on purchases, topical events and political viewpoints.”
Roberts highlighted that super connected consumers impact businesses in a range of ways, aided by the burgeoning technology industry that enables these consumers to connect faster, more frequently and more powerfully than ever before – undoubtedly, they will be a formidable spender.
“In order for businesses to succeed, it is imperative to recognise this super connected connectivity and most importantly understand how to engage this growing and exciting group of consumers,” she concluded.
GB
