IDEAS THAT MATTER | Social, online, immersive and conversational: This is how APAC likes to shop now

Everybody loves a mega sale day (MSD) and even as consumers return in droves to in-store shopping in APAC, the online shopping habits formed during the pandemic seem entrenched as they rely equally on their mobile devices when it comes to shopping.

I'm always excited to share the results of our annual consumer survey of year-end shoppers because it's a window into new trends and preferences. It also helps brands to connect the dots between discovery and consideration. We surveyed more than 18,000 people across 12 APAC markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Pakistan.

From this year's survey, we have identified five key trends and four winning strategies to help businesses maximise every mega sale day moment.

1. Mega sale days drive mega discovery: A whopping 94% of year-end shoppers surveyed said that they are likely to try a new brand during an MSD.
2. 12.12 and 11.11 win the popularity contest: Not all MSDs are created equal. In APAC, these two are the most popular, with 79% and 77% of year-end shoppers surveyed participating, respectively.
3. Gen Z and millennials are more in tune with social-first shopping: Social platforms drove discovery and purchase for 40% of those surveyed. Of this set, 61% are Gen Z and millennials. A high percentage – 89% – of this subset of social shoppers made a spontaneous discovery while shopping online. They are 1.3X more likely to purchase on mobile compared to a non-social shopper. They show openness to personalised ads, with 67% of them buying a product that they discovered via a personalised ad. Interestingly, 66% of social shoppers surveyed said that they are most likely to trust a brand who partners with a trustworthy creator and influencer.
4. Personal connections and immersive experiences are important in influencing shopping behaviours: Personal connections and recommendations (74%), sponsored content (66%) and video content (56%) fuel buying decisions (74%). Live shopping proved popular, with 77% of social shoppers surveyed saying they have watched or are open to a live shopping event online, with shoppers moving from awareness to purchase within one session. Augmented reality (AR) technologies also have a strong influence on shoppers, with 81% saying AR tools influence their purchase decisions.
5. Cross-border shoppers are emerging as a subset with strong focus on brand purpose: 55% of APAC shoppers surveyed made a cross-border purchase, with 33% of APAC cross-border shoppers starting their shopping earlier (by the end of November) than regular shoppers. Brand values are particularly important to APAC cross-border shoppers, with 46% looking at socially responsible brands, ethical/fair trade business practices (42%) and sustainability (41%).

So what does this all mean for businesses? We've identified four winning strategies around which businesses of all sizes should organise their efforts. It goes without saying that businesses should plan ahead to build for discovery. Demand for any business relies on making a meaningful connection with people. So, here we go:

1. Be social: In short, optimise for mobile discovery, leverage personalised ads to drive interest ahead of Mega sale days.
2. Be conversational: How do your customers talk to you? If you're able to connect with your customers on Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and answer questions, you'll forge deeper connections and find new and unexpected audiences.
3. Be immersive: This means bringing your product or service to life through a Live event, or an AR filter or some other experience that makes it real and tangible for your customer.
4. Be purpose-driven: There are so many ways to tell your brand story today and people have shown that they focus on brand values.

Learn more about the attitudes and behaviours of MSD shoppers and access country-specific reports here: https://www.facebook.com/business/insights/interactive-reports/holiday-shopping