Marketers told to be aware of 'paradox'
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THAI CONSUMERS tend to be uniquely traditionalist but at the same time very active in digital technology. Marketers must understand them to prepare a proper strategy for business success, GfK Thailand suggests.
Because of globally expanding urbanisation, it is estimated that about 75 per |cent of the world’s population will be living in urban areas by 2050. To learn more about this, GfK conducted in-depth research across the world, including Thailand.
The study found that Thailand bucked the trend, with 44 per cent of respondents classified as traditionalists, compared with the global average of just 12 per cent. In the “achiever” category, Thais were slightly above the global norm, at 30 per cent compared with 27 per cent.
For the purposes of this study, “traditionalists” were defined as those who tended to resist change and were likely to have high brand loyalty and be conservative-minded, while “achievers” were defined as people seeking success and wealth.
“Though Thais have the traditional mindset, the paradox is that Thailand was tipped as one of the 10 top growth markets for technology this year,” Daranee Charoen-Rajapark, chairwoman of the advisory board of GfK Thailand, said yesterday.
The Thai unit of the market-research firm conducted a nationwide survey in |May of 989 consumers, aged between |11 and 70. Daranee said it found that |70 per cent of respondents had their |own smartphones; 23 per cent used |regular phones; 18 per cent had tablets; 17 per cent had their own desktop computers, and 13 per cent had laptop computers; and 12 per cent used office desktop computers.
GfK also reported that sales of connected devices saw a huge surge in Thailand last year, compared with the last four years. In 2014, about 13.33 million smartphones were sold for a total value of US$3.156 billion (Bt106.6 billion) while more than 516,437 smart TVs were sold, valued at $407.96 million.
“Connected devices including smartphones, tablets and smart TVs will comprise a key convergence hub for marketing communication because consumers will use those devices to connect with other people and for socialising, entertainment, information and e-commerce,” Daranee said.
Marketers should prepare strategies to capitalise on the trends of urbanisation and the emergence of connected devices. For example, they should provide products and services that can be a part of customers’ lives, and integrate their marketing and communication strategies through multiple platforms.
