ASIA’S MARKET RESEARCH AND CONSUMER INSIGHTS

MEDIA

ISSUE 65 Q1, 2021 www.asia-research.net

DIGITALDIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ANNUAL REVIEW RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY AND ONLINE PANEL BUSINESS 2021 Successful Agile New Product Digitisation of Brand Partnerships Development from COVID-19 CONTENT Connect with Asia Research Media

3 News: In Case You Missed It 11 Influence the Online Shopper Journey by Applying 5 Online Dating in Asia Psychographic Insights

13 Agile New Product Development 7 Annual Review: Digital Transformation

9 Elements of Successful Brand Partnerships

15 Digitisation of Indonesia from COVID-19

17 IWD 2021: Generation Equality

19 On The Move

ASIA RESEARCH MEDIA 2CV BDRC Asia Borderless Access SUPPORTED BY Contact: James Redden Contact: Piers Lee Contact: Aditi Bhonsle T: +65 9230 0729 T: +65 6970 9571 E: sales.apac@ E: [email protected] E: [email protected] borderlessaccess.com W: www.2cv.com W: www.bva-bdrc.com W: https://www.borderlessaccess.com/

GMO Research SKIM Toluna Contact: Atsushi Yamamoto Contact: Michael Hetherington Contact: Oleg Safine T: +81 3 5456 3244 T: +65 6939 8018 ext. 102 T: +61 412 306 663 E: [email protected] E: [email protected] E: [email protected] W: www.gmo-research.jp W: skimgroup.com W: tolunacorporate.com

PUBLISHED BY ASIA RESEARCH PTE LTD Asia Research has taken all reasonable care to ensure the accuracy EDITOR Diana Sartika and objectivity of the information contained in this publication, but accepts no responsibility for the content of advertisements pub- DEPUTY EDITOR Piers Lee lished, and no liability for mistakes, misprints, omissions, typograph- EDITORIAL TEAM Clare Diston, Valerie Lum, ical errors, loss or damage suffered as a result of relying wholly or in Claudia Siregar part on the content of advertising or editorial published herein. Images: fanjianhua (Cover,7), TwoMine (9), Tanuta (10), Inspire DESIGN & ART DIRECTION Linking Asia 21 Pte. Ltd. (13), Susilo Prambanan (15). All images Shutterstock, unless stated For all enquiries related to advertising, please contact: otherwise. [email protected] Asia Research is published quarterly. Copyright is reserved through- out. No part of this publication can be reproduced in whole or in Asia Research welcomes contributions and reserves the right to part without the express permission of Asia Research Pte Ltd. select and edit readers’ contributions. The views expressed in LinkedIn: Asia Research Media contributions to Asia Research are not necessarily those held by the publisher.

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NEWS In Case You Missed It

2CV ANNOUNCES GLOBAL BRAND EYESEE EXPANDS IN APAC WITH “The ability to attract and help de- RELAUNCH NEW OFFICE velop top-notch behavioral research experts in any market we do busi- Global boutique research agency Belgium behavioural research com- ness in is one of the most exciting 2CV, which has offices in Singapore, pany Eyesee has opened a new sales and fulfilling aspects of this.” • London, Los Angeles, and San Fran- office in Singapore. Relying - exclu cisco, has refreshed its brand, giv- sively on pioneering online research Web: eyesee-research.com ing it a new look and tagline: ‘Make technology (remote eye tracking Your Mark’. The tagline was inspired and emotion tracking through facial BORDERLESS ACCESS EXPANDS by the need for research to have an expressions) to deliver deep and ac- GLOBAL DIGITAL RESEARCH REACH impact – most obviously on clients’ tionable behavioural insights, EyeS- business success, but also on re- ee has been serving clients in all ge- Borderless Access has launched four search buyers’ careers. ographies and a variety of industries new proprietary panels: two in Eu- since its beginnings, conducting re- James Redden, Managing Director rope, Italy and France, and two in search in 40+ countries. The Singa- Asia, commented: “We wanted to Latin America, Ecuador and Peru. pore office will be led by Tom Vande land on something that really en- Moortel. With the addition of these new mar- capsulates what delivering great kets, Borderless Access’s digital research can mean – helping our cli- Joris De Bruyne, EyeSee’s partner market research capabilities now ents make their mark by enhancing and the leading force behind the extend to seven countries in Lat- their business and by extension driv- move to APAC, explains: “We are in America and Europe, taking its ing their own personal success. We moving into Singapore to follow our first-party panel (B2B, B2C, health- think ‘Make Your Mark’ gets to that clients, as we have already done care) access to 39 markets. idea nicely.” • projects with our blue-chip clients in Asia.” Olivier Tilleuil, EyeSee’s “It is our constant endeavour to Web: 2cv.com founder and partner, further adds, grow our digital market research

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and insights capabilities to brands been offering its community plat- CONFIRMIT AND FOCUSVISION and businesses in newer markets. form and technology to Answer’s SEALS MERGER Both Latin American and European client base in the region since 2016. Two of the leading global research markets offer unique challenges and The Taiwanese agency, which was technology companies – Confirmit opportunities, which our extensive founded in 2005 by Vivian Luan and FocusVision – have completed and market-relevant insights capa- and strengthened its management their merger ahead of the estimated bilities are well-suited to handle,” team in 2016 with Jennifer Liu, has timeline. says Dushyant Gupta, Executive VP received the Bronze Trophy in the at Borderless Access. He further Kyle Ferguson, who has been ap- 2020 ESOMAR Research Effective- adds: “We are witnessing a rapid pointed CEO of the combined busi- ness Awards. increase in demand for digital pan- ness, said: “I am delighted to be able els and our new-age digital research “Much like our previous acquisitions, to confirm the successful merger of solutions, with more and more from Join the Dots to ABN Impact, it Confirmit and FocusVision. What brands and businesses transitioning is a delight to once again onboard started as an aspiration has be- to digital market research from the a forward-thinking partner that come a reality. The coming together traditional approach. A spike in this shares our drive to unlock powerful of two great companies to create a shift can be further noticed, espe- consumer insights through the inno- world-class business that will rein- cially since the COVID-19 pandemic, vative use of community technology vent the global insights industry is which has literally buried traditional and unrivalled consultative power,” now within our reach.” market research methodologies.” • says Kristof De Wulf, co-founder and Chris Nagy has been appointed CEO of Insites Consulting. Web: borderlessaccess.com President & CFO of the new busi- Jen Liu further adds: “We’ve enjoyed ness. Both the Confirmit and Focus- INSITES CONSULTING ACQUIRES working with the InSites Consulting Vision brands will remain in place as -BASED ANSWER team for the last few years; it’s re- integration rolls out, leading to an freshing to have found a partner anticipated new brand, strategy, vi- InSites Consulting has further ex- that ‘gets it’ – joining forces feels so sion, mission, and purpose, expected panded its Asian footprint. This fol- natural.” • to launch soon. • lows a strategic partnership through which InSites Consulting has already Web: insites-consulting.com Web: confirmit.com

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AGAINST THE ODDS: THE RISE OF ONLINE DATING IN ASIA By GMO Research

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its lockdowns and border closures, has created many a lonely soul. This is perhaps the main reason why on- line dating has seen a meteoric rise since the coronavirus first hit. But online dating apps are not new, and they are just one of the many ways in which technology has disrupted our way of life. Global dating app revenue has in- creased by 50% over the last four years, reaching $3.08 billion in 2020. The global dating app market is fore- cast to surpass $8.4 billion by 2024. In Asia, like the rest of the world, online dating apps have seen an in- crease in usage during the pandem- ic. In Singapore, during the circuit breaker lockdown, users of dating app Paktor spent 10 times longer on the app than they did before the pandemic. In China, mobile dating app Tantan reported that average time spent on the app increased by more than 30% during the pandemic est adoption rate in India at 57.2%, Findings from this survey have shone compared with average usage be- followed by at 46.5% and a spotlight on the usage of online fore COVID-19. at 32.4%. dating apps by married people in these different countries. Out of Being a diverse region, Asia is a melt- Most respondents from the survey those who have ever used an online ing pot of different cultures and eth- agree that there has been an in- dating app, India has the highest nicities, which can manifest in widely crease in the usage of online dating proportion, with 77.9% married and different consumer behaviours from apps since COVID-19. In India, as currently engaged in online dating. one city to the next. To deep-dive many as 78% of respondents think Next is Indonesia, where 60.1% are into this diversity, GMO Research that there has been increased usage married and currently using an on- conducted a survey into online dat- of online dating apps since the start line dating app. The third highest is ing in six different countries across of the pandemic. This is followed Thailand, with 53.7% married and Asia: Japan, Korea, India, Malaysia, by Indonesia and Thailand, where currently engaged in online dating. Indonesia, and Thailand. This article slightly more than half (58.6% and Korea is next at 51.6%, and Malaysia highlights key trends and consumer 56.8%, respectively) of respondents and Japan have the lowest propor- preferences in these different coun- think there has been increased us- tions of married people engaged in tries, and provides cross-country age. comparisons to give you detailed online dating, at 38.4% and 35.4%, insights into consumer behaviour in With the exception of Japan, there respectively. has been a higher adoption rate of the region. The GMO survey has highlighted online dating apps among male us- the most popular apps preferred by The most popular way for people to ers. This disparity is most noticeable consumers across the different coun- meet potential partners is through in India, where up to 71.3% of dat- tries. With the exception of Japan an introduction by friends or col- ing app users are male. There is also and Korea, which have particularly leagues. This is consistent across all a significantly higher proportion of distinct and unique cultures, Tinder the countries surveyed. male users in Thailand, at 66.7%. In has emerged as the most popular Indonesia, 62.3% of dating app us- Despite pressure from the more con- app in all the countries surveyed. ers are male, the third highest in the servative societies, dating apps have The highest usage rate for Tinder region. Apps in Korea and Malaysia still managed to find their way into can be found in India (67.5%), fol- have more balanced gender splits, Asia and are growing at a steady lowed by Malaysia (40.1%) and Indo- with male users making up 58% and pace. According to the survey, on- nesia (36.8%). line dating apps have had the high- 55%, respectively.

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Tinder is ranked second in Korea, behind popular Korean dating app Amanda, which was created by tech start-up NextMatch. In Japan, the top three most popular apps are Pairs, Omiai, and Tapple. What are the key reasons for using a dating app for consumers in Asia? The most common reason given in Malaysia (30.9%), India (26.9%), and Indonesia (26.8%) is “looking for new friends”. Most app users in Korea (44.3%) and Thailand (38.9%), however, are “just curious”. Japan is the only country where the top rea- son given for using a dating app is to look for a serious relationship. Many countries in Asia are rather conservative, and casual relation- ships associated with online dating are frowned upon. This might be one of the underlying reasons why a large proportion of people in Asia Interestingly, the GMO survey has by Malaysia at 64.8% and Japan at have not engaged in online dating. shed some light on the truthfulness 61.3%. The GMO survey sought to find out of dating app users across different During the pandemic, many people more about the reasons behind countries in Asia. A high proportion have become more isolated, and as a this reluctance to use dating apps of app users in India admitted to fab- result more people are seeking con- among consumers in Asia. One pop- ricating their profiles; at 70.1%, this nections virtually, for both compan- ular reason is the preference for is the highest proportion among the ionship and emotional support, as making a connection in person. This countries surveyed. Next highest is a coping mechanism for loneliness. is the top reason given in Thailand Thailand, where 69.2% of app users In fact, there is definitely an upward (43%), Malaysia (53.9%), and Indo- fabricate their profiles. In contrast, trend in relationships starting online nesia (53.9%). In India and Korea, in the other countries surveyed, most and going forward from there. This the top reason for staying away app users do not fabricate their pro- could lead to more serious relation- from dating apps is a distrust of files. At 67.8%, Korea has the highest ships and even marriages as online strangers met online. In Japan, most proportion of app users whose pro- dating goes mainstream. • respondents feel that using a dating files are authentic. This is followed app would affect them negatively.

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THE ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY & ONLINE PANEL BUSINESS IN ASIA DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION By Piers Lee, Deputy Editor, and Claudia Siregar, Co-owner, Asia Research Media

he global pandemic has been a catalyst for change in nearly all industry sectors. TIt has perhaps provided the biggest boost to the research technology and online panel business since its first appearance in Asia about 20 years ago.

There have been two main driving factors behind Since healthcare has been the ‘hot topic’ through- this. The first, and the most obvious, is that during out the pandemic, panel companies have devel- the pandemic and the lockdowns, far more field- oped more specialised panels. In 2020, Borderless work has had to go online. Access rolled out BA Health. Ruchika Gupta, CEO of Borderless Access, comments: “the insights and The second driving factor has been the ‘digital research space within healthcare has gradually transformation’ of corporations. More search- shifted towards digital methodologies… the launch ing and buying has been conducted online, with of BA Health unifies our full range of digital capa- greater use of e-commerce, online ordering, and bilities to cater to the healthcare industry and ser- electronic payments; this has made consumers’ vice our clients more efficiently”. Borderless Access purchase paths and buying patterns more trans- has grown its healthcare research team as part of parent. This wealth of data has helped to embed its plan to bolster its healthcare insights and ana- a culture of ‘data-based’ decision-making within lytics capabilities. corporations. However, 2020 saw the largest decline in GDP and Dini Islami, Managing Director of BVA BDRC Asia, company revenues in living memory, and inevitably conducted a survey in Indonesia with GMO Re- this has put pressure on corporate marketing bud- search and found that the lockdowns had prompt- gets. Indeed, the Asia Research Stakeholder Survey ed many consumers to adopt electronic payment conducted in 2020 showed that a net 41% of cli- products to facilitate more online transactions. ents in Asia expected a lower budget for research This has helped to transform a predominantly in 2021 compared to 2020, and cuts were already cash-based consumer economy into something happening in 2020. James Burge observed that more sophisticated, and this will spur on growth in trackers had been maintained during the crisis and home-based e-commerce businesses, helping the ad hoc surveys were more impacted at the height overall Indonesian economy to recover. of the pandemic in 2020. But James comments Takashi Ito, Chief Global Officer of GMO Research, that the recovery is under way and we will see new comments that digitised corporations are under- opportunities arise, such as brands updating their taking more research as part of their PDCA (Plan segmentation models in changing and disrupted Do Check Act) approach to business – an iterative markets. four-step management method to continually en- James also observes growth in online research in hance products. They have seen a growth in IT and the Asian emerging markets that have traditionally technology clients coming directly to GMO, for ex- used in-person surveys, and where cost differentials ample, for product testing research. in online and offline fieldwork are not so great. Dy- James Burge, Managing Director of Dynata (APAC) nata has invested more in their emerging markets concurs, stating that “data-driven marketing is be- panels, for example, to increase representation coming embedded in organisations with the accel- of lower socioeconomic classification segments – eration in online activity and with it the supply of sometimes a challenge in emerging markets. data”.

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Ludo Milet, Managing Director of Toluna APAC, com- Partner at InSites Consulting Asia, comments: “Our ments that Asia has been the first region to recover digital community business has been very robust from the crisis, and Toluna APAC are seeing strong through the pandemic. In general, clients with struc- growth in their business in China. Ludo also points tural digital communities in place before COVID-19 out that Chinese corporations are getting more so- have benefitted from staying in touch with their phisticated, acting more like global brands and un- customers. The importance of ongoing digital en- dertaking more research. gagement and learning from customers has indeed only accelerated as well. Digital transformation has The other transformation of the industry has been the ‘time-machined’ forward 5 years.” adoption of DIY research. Takashi Ito from GMO Re- search says that corporations are still dependent on Scott continues: “Pop-up qualitative communities the research agency for more complex surveys that and online qualitative groups/depths have also require more “human input” into design elements, proved popular as clients have not always been able etc, but for surveys using simple structured question- to conduct traditional face-to-face focus groups. In naires the corporations are increasingly going direct many cases clients have realised digital methodolo- to panel companies with “light DIY solutions”. Ludo gies offer comparable if not better insights to ‘FGDs’. Milet comments: “Toluna developed real-time con- For example, more time, more segments, more reach sumer intelligence platforms which include a range geographically, and more questions.” of end-to-end DIY solutions with easy scripting, both templated and fully customised dashboards, and ad- vanced analytics and reporting functionality. Since its PASSIVE METERING release in late 2020, we have recorded 48% growth With the huge growth in e-commerce, we see a corre- in active users globally, with a significant increase in sponding growth in online data. As corporations rely demand from current and new clients.” Their acquisi- more on e-commerce, passive metering of consumers’ tion of the full-service agency Harris Interactive back online behaviour has been in higher demand to aid in 2014 meant they were well prepared in question- brands’ investment in online media buying. With con- naire design capabilities to meet the higher DIY need sumers’ widespread adoption of tracing apps during today. the pandemic, they have in some ways become more accepting of being tracked. ONLINE QUALITATIVE However, consumers are also becoming more aware of how their data is being used and commercialised. Online qualitative research was around for many Concerns about how consumers’ online behaviour is years before the pandemic, but it struggled to gain being monitored have boosted the use of virtual pri- traction. Today it has become more of a ‘norm’, al- vate network (VPN) software that encrypts users’ web though questions remain about the level of respon- traffic and masks their IP addresses. These VPN ser- dent engagement within online focus groups, e.g. via vice providers have been heavily advertised through- video conferencing. The answer has been the use of out the pandemic in response to the very obvious more one-on-one qualitative, digital ethnographic, use of customers’ online behavioural data, e.g. for and hybrid qualitative/quantitative techniques. In targeted offers. While consumers might appreciate 2020, GMO Research introduced their cloud solution these targeted offers, there are increasing concerns service ´MO Insights´ into their online survey platform, about how ‘Big Tech’ is controlling our lives – every- enabling users to complete online qualitative sur- thing from what they observe about us, to what they veys involving consumer interviews. Dynata acquired communicate to us, to what they choose to censor Crowd Lab, and one of their solutions was to enhance on partisan political or so-called ‘social justice’ issues. qualitative feedback from quantitative surveys by in- corporating short video/audio responses and captur- Going forward, there will be a battle between privacy ing in-the-moment consumer opinions. vs the transparency that corporations and govern- ments are seeking in order to gain better understand- The decline in offline research has boosted demand ing and ‘control’ of the consumer. • for online insights communities. Scott Lee, Managing

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ELEMENTS OF SUCCESSFUL BRAND PARTNERSHIPS By Satpal Daryanani, Research Manager at 2CV

e live in an era where brand collaborations are increasing- Wly commonplace. While this may seem like a recent trend, brand partnerships have been around for decades.

One of the most prominent examples is Betty Crocker Brand owners see partnerships as a strategic way to partnering with Hershey’s in the 1980s to include choco- boost awareness, build brand associations and target late syrup in its signature brownie recipe. Consumers were new segments. As marketing guru Mark Ritson once said: delighted with the coming together of two classic brands “success in co-branding is about as good as it ever gets to create a single (delicious) experience. The partnership in marketing terms”; it is no wonder then that almost ev- proved to be so successful that both still collaborate on ery major global brand seems to have at least one brand new co-branded products to this day. partnership running at any given time. Brand partnerships have evolved in the last decade. From While the potential upside to brand partnerships is clear, collaborations between similar category brands (Star- misguided collaborations can be costly in terms of a bucks and PepsiCo), brand partnerships now span across brand’s reputation. One prominent example was Lego categories (Netflix and Ben and Jerry’s), across seemingly and Shell – despite having a successful partnership for de- contradictory brands (Supreme and Louis Vuitton), and cades, Lego terminated its partnership in 2014 because across multiple partner brands (Manchester United has of the mounting negative publicity it was receiving due to partnered with 22 brands globally). Shell’s drilling activities in the Artic Ocean.

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With so much at stake, there are a few factors that brands NATURE OF PARTNERSHIPS should consider before initiating a partnership. Apart from ensuring that there is alignment between BRAND FIT brands, the nature of the brand partnership is another key determinant of success. Each brand must bring value to Brand fit plays a key role in determining the success of the relationship for it to succeed. a brand partnership. The more complementary consum- ers perceive the brands to be, the more likely that the PepsiCo and Starbucks, commitment to creating a ready- partnership will succeed. This perception will also colour to-drink version of the iconic frappuccino established this consumers’ perceptions of the product or service created brand partnership as a market leader in a newly created from this partnership. category – a position it holds to this day. Not only did this partnership create value for each brand, it also brought Research conducted by Casey E. Newmeyer, R. Venkatesh, value to customers in the form of a new product innova- and Rabikar Chatterjee in 2014 identified two dimensions tion. of brand fit: functional fit and hedonic/symbolic fit. Often partnerships go poorly when brands do not bring • Functional fit: The degree to which the partner brands enough value to the partnership, or do not think through fit in terms of functional capabilities (i.e., how a product the nature of the partnership and/or the product service performs) being created. One of the more infamous perceived fail- • Hedonic or symbolic fit: The degree to which the partner ures was that of Taken 3 and LinkedIn in 2015. While there brands fit in terms of the image and/or feelings they elicit was engagement from the LinkedIn community, consum- with consumers. ers wondered how a character who killed a lot of people would be appealing to business professionals. NUMBER OF PARTNERSHIPS Another factor that brands should consider is the number of partnerships they are engaging in. While more part- nerships can result in increased brand benefits, there is a possibility that varied partnerships can cause confusion or message dilution among consumers. Some aspects that brands should consider before adding an additional partnership are: • Target group: Who is the partnership targeting? Will the addition of this partnership create over-exposure and fa- tigue within the target group? • Type of partnership: How do the perceived values of the partner brand fit with the values of the other brands we are partnered with? • Resources: Do we have the resources to effectively exe- cute this additional brand partnership? Will we bring val- ue to this partnership? THE ROLE OF RESEARCH

The theory goes that the more overlap there is, the high- Brand partnerships have clear potential upsides, but they er the likelihood of success. For example, the partnership are not without risks. As researchers, we would always say between BMW and Louis Vuitton proved to be successful that strong consumer research should play an informative because consumers associated both brands with travel, role before partnerships are undertaken, to understand luxury, and craftsmanship. both the benefits and the potential drawbacks. There is also a different view that partnering contrast- Research is particularly important in understanding how ing brands can produce the best results – for example, the potential partner brand is viewed and who its core while mass-market fashion retailer H&M may seem a audience is – having these facts will guide brand owners world away from luxury brands, its collaboration with lux- on whether a potential partnership is worth pursuing. ury brand Balmain was wildly successful. In such cases, Research can also capture direct consumer feedback on each brand is looking to benefit from the other’s relative a potential partnership, for perceptions of brand fit and strengths – the mass brand provides the luxury brand with general positivity. This will give a preview of how the part- a wider audience, while the mass brand benefits from up- nership will be received if launched. scale associations. Overall, while brand partnerships are a positive tool for What is clear is that the idea of brand fit can be fluid brands, the consumer perspective needs to be at the cen- and elusive to define. When considering a partnership, it tre of partnership decisions to help maximise their value is therefore critical for brand owners to understand how and limit potential brand damage. • consumers perceive the proposed brands individually, to ensure that there is a strong perceived fit across relevant attributes.

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INFLUENCE THE ONLINE SHOPPER JOURNEY BY APPLYING PSYCHOGRAPHIC INSIGHTS By Chrislyn Tang, Analyst at SKIM Singapore

hen looking to understand and influence the online shopper jour- Wney, there is a tendency to focus on touchpoints, like social media, reviews, and online retailers. However, there’s an alternative view of segmentation that digital marketers could consider: psychographics.

Because consumer journeys are highly personal – de- These shoppers may be more likely to be triggered by a pendent on traits, habits, and context – consumer be- social media ad promoting a free trial. You would need haviours are not homogenous. Psychographic segmenta- to tailor the ‘free trial’ message to influence these shop- tion (personality traits, beliefs, values, etc) adds another pers accordingly. level of accuracy to predicting online decision behaviour. In a recent Decision Journey Modelling (DJM) project for Your digital marketing strategies and spend could be a leading household care product, we found that the more impactful and generate greater online conversion need-for-certainty trait can indicate the length of the and loyalty, when truly customised to your audience. consumer decision journey. Risk-averse shoppers had a Learn how 4 personality traits represent subconscious higher than average number of touchpoints before the drivers influencing the online shopper journey and impli- final purchase decision. For marketers, a DJM project can cations for digital marketing strategies. uncover the best touchpoints to influence this segment. ___ Once you uncover the segment, use an implicit, mo- bile-based research technique2 to determine which mes- Using psychographics can reveal a more holistic picture sages or visuals could subconsciously offer the most as- of the online shopper’s mindset and where brands can surance to this segment. better influence it. Personality, values, interests, and life- style subconsciously determine how consumers browse, 2. NEED FOR AFFECT (NFA) research, and ultimately make their final purchase deci- The need for affect (NFA) refers to the variation in moti- sion. vation for how individuals approach or avoid situations Whether you want to reinforce consumer habits or dis- or activities that are emotion-inducing, such as watching rupt them1, psychographics can help you target the right a sad movie where characters die. Those individuals with customers and tailor your online messaging more effec- high NFA would be more affected by the death of a pub- tively. Examples include personalised ads, emails, prod- lic figure. A shopper with a high NFA would prefer more uct offers, and promotions. Remember to ensure that visuals and stimuli, as emotional appeal works more ef- any psychographic data usage is done properly and eth- fectively on them than logic. Vice versa, a shopper with a ically (i.e. implement user transparency, data protection/ low NFA would prefer more text-based information. privacy compliance, etc). If you want to convert a shopper with the NFA trait, you PERSONALITY TRAITS INFLUENCING SHOPPER could optimise both the company-owned channels, such DECISIONS as the brand website, and the assets developed for third- party-owned channels, such as digital ads. Personality is one psychographic that yields useful, ac- tionable information for brands. Here are four examples For example: and marketing implications: Brand website: Personalise product content and site 1. NEED FOR CERTAINTY: RISK-AVERSE VS RISK-SEEK- navigation to drive online engagement. For example, ING steer the high NFA consumers towards more visual in- formation, such as product images or videos, to induce Risk is a familiar and popular area of study in finance, for emotions. The low NFA group might be more interested example, choosing between buying a high-risk, high-re- in reading product reviews to educate themselves and turn stock, in comparison to a low-risk, low-return stock. better understand the product. Risk attitudes can also be a useful factor for consumer goods marketers. Digital advertising: Tailor messaging and visuals based on personality traits to drive online conversion. For ex- Risk appetites indicate openness to trying new prod- ample, consumers with high NFA would prefer more visu- ucts and can reveal which online triggers could influ- al ads that make them feel emotional and sentimental. ence product trials. Consider those shoppers who keep Relying on more emotional, rather than rational, stimuli searching for information to validate their choice or to is more likely to capture their attention and trigger ac- get reassurance that they are making the right decision. tion. These people are likely to be risk-averse, as they prefer outcomes with lower uncertainty. They need more reas- surance and credible information.

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3. NEED FOR UNIQUENESS (NFU) BUILDING A HOLISTIC VIEW OF THE ONLINE Need for uniqueness (NFU) is an individual’s pursuit of SHOPPER difference relative to others that is achieved through With the proliferation of big data, you likely have many the acquisition, utilisation, and disposition of consum- internal, public, and third-party data sources available. er goods for the purpose of developing and enhancing one’s personal and social identity. Combining these data sources with predictive analytics, can improve e-commerce decision-making. Equipped A shopper with low NFU could be reached through a with a holistic 360-degree view of the online shopper, social influence nudge, which aims to trigger decision you will be able to make more accurate predictions. behaviour by providing encouragement by stating what other people do. For example, consider Netflix’s ‘Top 10 In addition to your own website or app, you can uncover Movies Today’. Alternatively, personalities with high NFU psychographic data from ‘walled garden’ sites like Tao- are less susceptible to nudges. These consumers prefer bao, Alibaba, Rakuten, Lazada, and Shopee. Impossible? scarce, customised, and less popular products, rather No. than being spurred on by other people’s choices. They Consider a research solution which realistically replicates can be targeted with ‘limited edition’ products. e-commerce environments and apps to test how online 3 4. NEED FOR COGNITION (NFC) shoppers make choices , like SKIM DigiShop. With these insights, marketers can increase their agility – shifting Need for cognition (NFC) is a personality trait reflecting content or offers to better influence shopper choice. a person’s tendency to enjoy engaging in extensive cog- nitive activity. A person with low NFC will not enjoy or ___ would prefer not to engage in making a choice or an When speaking to consumers in a language they relate active decision. Using default nudges is a way to reach to brands can best facilitate their decision journey and this type of shopper – presenting a pre-selected option. increase online conversion and engagement. • That option is likely to be chosen because switching to 1 https://skimgroup.com/blog/introducing-the-habitu- another option would require more effort. For example, al-deliberate-loop-of-consumer-decision-behavior/ food delivery app Grab Singapore uses the default nudge 2 effectively by pre-selecting the ‘no cutlery’ option. You https://skimgroup.com/methodologies/unspoken/ can also encourage low NFC shoppers to trial a new 3 https://skimgroup.com/skim-digishop/ product by bundling it with an existing product.

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AGILE NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT By Richie Heron, VP Product Methodology, Toluna

e’re navigating challenging times and they require increasingly inno- Wvative and agile solutions to keep up. But how can businesses truly understand what their target audience expects without hearing from them directly? The answer is simple: they can’t.

Consider this: with people staying at home more and go- A GAME PLAN FOR SUCCESS: GETTING YOU TO WHERE ing out socially less often, alcohol sales have been on the YOU WANT TO BE rise. This is promising for the industry! Once you’ve identified your goals and priorities, recent But at the same time, consumers are changing their be- launches show that businesses can maximise potential haviours and expectations faster than ever before. It’s by doing at least one of the following as part of NPD: not enough to rely on assumptions or outdated data in an • Concept testing to define the appeal evolving landscape without risking costly and time-con- suming new product development (NPD) missteps. • TURF if you have multiple variants, to maximise reach Let’s take a closer look at what’s required to make deci- • Image testing to confirm consumers understand sions, and which approaches make good sense for short- what the product will convey and longer-term success. If these approaches sound time-consuming, you may be WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING TO ACHIEVE IN THE COMING surprised to learn that they don’t have to be. Agile, fast, MONTHS? and efficient solutions no longer come at the cost of ac- curacy. They’re not seen with the negative connotations It’s important to start by identifying the goals and wins they once had; instead they’re being embraced by some you’re looking to go after, and the timeline you’re work- of the largest brands across sectors. ing with. Whether you’re looking at a solution for short-term or As a jumping-off point in this discovery phase, following long-term success – or both – here are some key benefits a simple, four-component structure in the areas of short- to these NPD research techniques: term vs long-term and revenue vs strategic undertakings can help. As these informative factors overlap, priorities • Quick and agile: Alltogether, they take less than 72 emerge, including: hours to complete. Each method in isolation can be completed in less than 24 hours. • Claims, new variants, and communication (for those focused on the short-term and revenue) • Versatile: There are lots of options available to you that are quick and easy to deploy. • Pack formats (for a focus on short-term, strategic wins) • Supportive: They work with you towards your goals (for example, the more short-term your objectives, the • New categories, benefits, and new ideas (for long- faster you need to move). term, revenue-driven focus) • Substantial: They offer as much data as you need • New positioning (for long-term, strategic wins) (for example, the more long-term your goals, the more With a clearer view of your areas of opportunity – no data you need to quantify the opportunity to mitigate matter what your goals are – next consider these simple the risk). questions. First, what are your objectives? Second, what • Actionable: They use the data to make the right de- data do you need to answer your objectives? And lastly, cisions. what decisions will you make with that data?

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USING TECHNOLOGY TO QUICKLY EVALUATE SUC- data indicates the highest-performing variants per cat- CESS: A CASE STUDY egory — Molson Cold Shots; Toohey’s New Lager; Too- hey’s Old Dark Ale; Carlton Draught; and Molson Dry. It’s one thing to have a roadmap of your goals and the tools and techniques to push you towards them, but it´s What’s next? A working concept around each winning another to make it happen! Let’s look at a hypothetical product from the screening phase to explain the prod- case study about new products – more specifically, beer. uct and its heritage, effectively offering a more in-depth Using beer from 20 different brewers around the world, view of each. We ran a concept test using an automated here are the answers to those three key questions we solution for speed and agility, with results in less than 24 discussed earlier: hours. This is where we’d gather data from real respon- dents in the target audience for purchase intent, likeabil- 1. Objectives: Could one of these beers be successful in ity, distinctiveness, believability, and importance – then the market? compare it to industry norms. The robust, real-time data 2. Data: Would consumers purchase them? Are they dif- could then be used to make NPD decisions to match your ferent from those existing today? Are they believable? short- and long-term goals. 3. Decisions: To launch or not? As you break down the results, it’s important to determine a threshold for success, with the products that come in Here, a solid approach would be concept testing, but it above it being the front-runners for meeting your specific must be manageable to be effective. Because 20 is too goals. Lowering your threshold provides more opportuni- many variants for one single concept test, we’ll go with a ty, whereas setting a higher threshold enforces stricter more digestible sample. standards and ensures that only the best survive. Using a screening process that features images only to We’re living in a time when it’s possible to quickly build mimic a launch without support, we’d then ask respon- surveys and deliver them anywhere in the world, with re- dents if they would buy this product, whether it’s differ- al-time access and reliable results. With speed no lon- ent from what exists today, if they would order it in a bar ger a problem, the emphasis is now back on you and or pub (hopefully in the not-too-distant future), and how how you’ll use the data available to you. What does the it makes them feel. business need to achieve? How will you make decisions? In just a few hours of early-stage screening, the top five What does success look like? It’s up to you, and the sky’s best performers across metrics were revealed, and the the limit. •

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DIGITISATION OF INDONESIA FROM COVID-19

By BVA BDRC

ne of the few upsides of the COVID-19 pandemic for the Indonesian econo- Omy has been to transform it away from cash towards electronic payments.

Indonesia has been heavily dependent on cash, but societies over cash-based ones has been well studied. when shops and restaurants had to close during the The main benefits are seen in the following areas: lockdowns, this forced the population to shop online and LESS TAX EVASION: Cash-based businesses can hide order online for home delivery. revenue to reduce their tax bills. Even in developed Based on a BDRC survey in Indonesia, during the lock- countries this can amount to billions of dollars of lost tax downs 14% of consumers used online shopping for the revenue, but in Indonesia this is even higher. Indonesia first time, 47% increased their level of online shopping, has a tax-to-GDP ratio of about 12% – this is lower than and 35% used home delivery from eating outlets. most of its neighbours and far lower than in the devel- oped world, where ratios from 25% to 50% are common. The switch to online ordering over in-store purchasing Electronic payments are increasing transparency and prompted many consumers to adopt new payment tech- should help the government to collect more tax revenue nologies. Historically, the main beneficiaries of electron- if tax collection can be made more effective. ic payments have been the card issuers, but in Indonesia only 16% of consumers adopted new cards during the LESS CRIME: Pilfering from staff and robberies can be lockdown, while far more moved to other payment tech- an issue for many cash-based businesses, particularly in nologies, including 23% to Paypal and 54% collectively retail, so the more businesses can take in electronic pay- to the other electronic payment methods, e.g. OVO, Go- ments, the lower the risk of theft. BDRC’s survey shows Pay, DANA, etc. that 59% of businesses increased their share of receiv- ables from electronic payments in 2020, with 23% taking The need to do more online during lockdowns also all receivables electronically. Only 18% in our survey re- prompted 25% of consumers to upgrade their mobile main entirely cash-based. plans vs just 8% downgrading them – this was despite financial pressure on families that might otherwise cause EFFICIENCIES: Businesses that accept electronic pay- them to cut costs. ments can have lower transaction costs. There is less labour time spent on counting cash and taking it to the The progress towards more electronic-payment-based bank.

Whether ONLINE SHOPPING used had used a NEW RETAILER Technology adoption during lockdowns more than before the lockdown during the lockdown, including: Electronic payments, e.g. OVO, GoPay, DANA, etc. 54% No use, 15% Paypal 23%

New mobile 17%

E- More than Both , NET: New cards 16% Commerce, before, 40% Including… Same, 24% 47% 47% Debit card 12% Traditional retailers, Credit card 6% 13% Sites / forums for online deals Used for 13% first time, Will sustain higher levels of online 14% New PC 7% shopping when the crisis passes, 84% of first timers will continue with online None 29%

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However, there can be a downside with transaction fees spending, e.g. as a daily allowance. Psychologically, it levied by card companies on transactions, but business- is easier to spend money electronically without thinking es generally recognise the net benefits of electronic over you are overspending – good for retailers, but sometimes cash. It can also encourage consumers to spend more. bad for the consumer. There can be greater emotional For the consumer, paying electronically means they do attachment to cash that makes you more conscious of not end up with small loose change that can often end what you are spending; also, receiving an IDR 100,000 up in drawers or down the back of the sofa. note can feel much more satisfying than just getting it credited to your bank account. Also, with fewer cash payments, less banking infrastruc- ture is needed, e.g. fewer branches. These costs tend to But overall, most would agree that electronic payments be passed on to customers, and more efficient banking bring a net benefit to society, and in the last year the should mean lower banking costs for customers, particu- health benefits of receiving intangible electronic pay- larly if there is competition from new players in the finan- ments instead of handling dirty notes that can carry vi- cial services industry. ruses has been much appreciated. The downsides to electronic payments have also been For Indonesia another significant benefit of electron- well documented. Firstly, they can lead to financial ex- ic payments will be in boosting its e-commerce sector. clusion, as many people, particularly in developing coun- The BDRC survey showed that 38% of consumers have tries, cannot access banking services or be issued cards. second-employment income, often from side business- But new forms of electronic payments, e.g. via mobiles, es. The lockdowns and shop closures prompted 30% of are addressing these issues at least in part. consumers to use retailers who they had not shopped with before, and among these, 87% used new dedicated Some also see electronic payments as a means of gov- e-commerce retailers. ernments and corporations to spy on them. Firms track spending patterns and send targeted marketing – not a With a population of 270 million, the possibilities for great hardship, but more dystopian governments could e-commerce in Indonesia are huge, in a market where an use this to wield power over their citizens. increasing number of consumers are now able to trans- act online through a wide range of electronic payment For some, cash is a good way to budget and regulate options. •

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#IWD 2021 GENERATION EQUALITY

Just a few weeks ago, we celebrated International Women’s Day: a day that celebrates women’s roles in the march to- wards gender equality. This year, the #IWD theme highlighted the leadership and contributions of women in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the battle against gender inequality in the workplace is far from over as women across the world are being hard hit by the pandemic and gender gaps are wid- ening.

Everyday, we should address and highlight, why we need female leaders, female empowerment, and what needs to be done, now, more than ever. Claudia Siregar, Asia Research Media

A recent article by GMO Research has highlighted the of Marketing & Corporate Communications at Prodege: plight of working women in Asia, where many are los- “Women, more than men, need to move to another or- ing their jobs as a result of the pandemic. The sectors ganization in an effort to gain the salary increase they that have been worst affected and had to implement lay- are deserving of, or to get that promotion, and disparity offs were largely based in the retail, F&B, and informal plays a role here. Taking these steps can allow women employment sectors – the majority of which were posi- to have further tenure at an organization and climb the tions filled by women. Japan is a prime example of how ladder more easily.” COVID-19 has disrupted the workforce. For many years 2. BOLSTER FUTURE LEADERS ON DAY ONE now, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has emphasised ‘wome- nomics’. Abe’s push for a balanced workforce has seen “Our brightest leaders are in front of us: they have en- its female employment rate hit more than 70%. However, dured unimaginable and unprecedented hardships, have the pandemic has brought to the surface the reality that persevered against judgement and discrimination, and many women hold jobs that have no proper security, have pushed the boundaries of themselves more than we making them precarious. know,” comments Dana DiGregorio, Managing Director of MESH Experience. The key to retaining – and training Reshaping workforce diversity should be an important – future leaders is to start early. Corporate amenities like issue for all companies to address moving forward, as internal or third-party mentor programmes, profession- according to a 2020 report by McKinsey, diversity in al development opportunities, and networking spaces the workforce equals profitability. The report indicated might be great ways to get female employees through that gender-diverse companies are 15% more likely to the door, but they are also incredible retention tools. achieve above-average profitability than companies that lack gender diversity. The study also showed that compa- 3. BE CONSIDERATE (AND PROACTIVE) WHEN IT COMES nies with more than 30% female executives ‘outperform’ TO INTERSECTIONAL STRUGGLES other companies. This is why for the global workforce While many companies began in-office inclusion pro- to regain momentum, women need to be presented with grammes before COVID-19, many have failed to adapt equal opportunities – especially in decision-making roles. those campaigns to a remote format. Inclusion matters It is imperative that female leadership is cultivated, be now more than ever – if you can’t sustain internal pro- it through professional development, thought leadership gramming at this time, outsource programming that can opportunities, fostering diverse communities, or propel- ______ling women into decision-making roles. What do wom- en need from leadership to stay motivated, thrive, and THE ´WHY´ BEHIND WIRe´S WORK succeed? In line with #IWD21 the non-profit organisation Our mission is to advance the contributions and Women in Research (WIRe) has compiled eight ways to voice of women in research, both for themselves and foster female leadership: for the greater good of the industry. 1. ELIMINATE THE PAY GAP – NOW

There has never been a better time to interrogate salary By Jessica Sage, Marketing & Events Director, disparity in your company. According to Jessica Batty, VP Women in Research

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help support diverse employees while continuing to en- 7. INVEST IN A CULTURE OF SUPPORT gage all employees in reparative justice efforts. Address Mentors change lives and shape the networks of so many the challenges head on. successful individuals, but finding a mentor can be hard. 4. REDEFINE WHAT LEADERSHIP MEANS FOR YOUR Companies that want to bolster female employees into COMPANY leadership roles can combat the difficulties of finding a mentor by investing in internal or external mentorship “Women are going to have different perspectives, and programmes – engaging leaders of all genders to assist the same applies across race, ethnicity, sexual orien- in the cause. tation, origin, etc. Welcoming these viewpoints across leadership positions, having these sometimes uncom- “By establishing various active mentorship and leader- fortable conversations so that everyone is heard, and ship programs, other women can be empowered to put actively pushing for diverse opinions/change is most im- their best foot forward, seek guidance from their men- portant,” says Molly Strawn, Senior Marketing Strategist tors and break past their comfort zone, all the while be- at InnovateMR. ing reminded that there is no limit as to what they can achieve. Supporting aspirations, knowing when to offer Alice Eagly, a psychologist at Northwestern University, constructive feedback and recognizing accomplishments echoed this in a BBC article out earlier this year, not- obtain the ability to influence and inspire additional fe- ing that: “One of the solutions to gender equality is to male leadership,” adds Jessica Dogali, Founder of Evolv- change not the image of women or men, but to change ing Insights. the image of the leadership roles. Getting more women into leadership will be equal parts changes to policy, as 8. CELEBRATE COLLECTIVE WINS it will be to changes in mindset. Interrogate the qualities Jane Attale, VP of Sales Operations EMEA at Cint, com- that define leadership in your company for potential bias ments: “We all need to be advocates for each other. and expand that definition to be a more inclusive one.” When it comes to equality for women, it’s not just about 5. ADAPT TO YOUR EMPLOYEES LIKE YOU ADAPT TO breaking that glass ceiling anymore. It’s about building YOUR CLIENTS an escalator so that everybody can rise up together. By taking this approach, not only will you smash through One big way that companies can adapt to the needs of that ceiling, but you will also build a path to allow hun- all of their employees is to refresh policies around care- dreds of people to follow in your footsteps.” giving and parental leave. “The number of female lead- ers who are mothers continues to grow generation to Studies have shown that senior-level women are “more generation. However, millions of mothers are leaving the likely to mentor and sponsor other women”. It is clear workforce in COVID-19. This is an opportunity to inspire that, when we lose women in the workforce at the rate the next generation of female leaders that have felt the currently being experienced, an entire structure of sup- pressures of the work-life balance (or imbalance!) that port collapses alongside it. To drive growth and success, COVID-19 has accelerated,” says Christine Avallone, Se- companies should invest in the future of female leader- nior Manager, Customer Marketplace Insights at Verizon. ship with the purpose of bolstering a more diverse and inclusive workforce. At the same time, management 6. HIRE DIVERSELY ACROSS THE BOARD should re-evaluate their gender diversity strategies in Growth-focused companies need to foster diverse lead- the workplace and implement proper protocols to ensure ership across the board. “For there to be more female female employees are not getting the short end of the leadership, there also has to be more diversity overall, not stick. • just gender — diversity in thought, different social and For the full articles visit: ethnic backgrounds. That diversity will make it easier to show up and do your thing and break the norms, which https://gmo-research.com/news-events/articles/gen- ultimately will make for a more insightful organization,” der-diversity-asian-workplace comments Dr. Matilda Andersson, Group Managing Di- https://www.womeninresearch.org/post/8-ways-to-fos- rector at Crowd DNA. Women and diverse communities ter-female-leadership-in-2021 bring different perspectives, values, experiences, and ex- pertise that sets them apart and contributes to a richer collective of thought – and higher profits.

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INNOVATEMR EXPANDS LEADER- cently from Dynata as Director of Managing Director of China to sup- SHIP TEAM Operations for North America Proj- port recent growth and the increas- ect Management, Sandeep has ex- ing demands of their clients in the Sample solutions provider Inno- tensive experience through his lead- region. vateMR has made new appoint- ership at Kantar, Greenfield Online, ments in its leadership team to fur- and uSamp/Instantly. During an extensive career, Stewart ther accelerate growth. Sandeep has held management positions at Singh joins the team as Managing Sylvia has spent over 25 years in the DeepZero iPinYou, Dentsu Digital, Director, APAC and Sylvia Ortiz-Mos- market research industry and has GroupM China, Zenith Shanghai, and cato has been appointed VP of Oper- experience in interactive/digital me- Carat Hong Kong. ations, B2B & New Client Partner- dia, television, home entertainment, ships. consumer packaged goods, and au- Leela Nair, Managing Director Ebiq- tomotive. Sylvia will focus her time uity Asia Pacific, said: “Stewart is a Sandeep is a market research veter- on advancing the work of existing fantastic addition to the team, and an with a proven track record of clients and building new client part- his experience in managing digital building and managing high-per- nerships. • media, creative and technology com- forming teams. Singh has 20+ years panies in China and Hong Kong will of industry experience in sales and NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR OF further enhance Ebiquity’s position operations, possessing extensive ex- CHINA AT EBIQUITY in China and the region.” • perience in P&L management, client servicing, account management, Media analytics consultancy Ebiqui- and operations. Coming most re- ty has appointed Stewart Li as the

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