Thais happy with online trade-offs

In comparison with the rest of the world, they are less sceptical of the content they see and more accepting of brands online. Brands need to continue to earn this trust through appropriate interactions or risk the rise of doubt and cynicism.
Kantar TNS surveyed 70,000 people across 56 countries and conducted 104 interviews as part of the 2017 Connected Life study. The research explored consumer trust in brands in relation to four themes: technology, content, data, and e-commerce.
The findings show that optimism around connectivity is still high in Thailand, and for the most part, consumers have not yet realised the trade-offs intrinsic to a connected lifestyle that have caused other countries to become more cynical about the way companies are using the personal information. Only 20 per cent of Thai consumers have concerns about the amount of personal data brands have on them, compared to 40 per cent globally and rising to as high as 56 per cent in Australia. 
Only 22 per cent are averse to connected devices monitoring their activities online if it makes their lives easier, compared to 56 per cent of consumers in South Korea and 62 per cent in New Zealand.
In an age of so-called fake news, 40 per cent of connected consumers in Thailand trust the information they consume on social media channels. This is higher than the global average of 35 per cent, and substantially more trusting when compared to markets that have had a longer relationship with digital channels, such as Japan (18 per cent) and South Korea (17 per cent). For many Thai consumers, social media remains a credible place to hear brand messages, which are generally seen to have relevance, particularly if they demonstrate an understanding of local culture and nuances.
To some degree, this accepting attitude filters through to how Thai people feel about brands, with 39 per cent trusting large global brands. Levels of trust in this area vary significantly between emerging and developed markets in Asia: in Vietnam and Myanmar, more than half of consumers (54 per cent in both) trust big global brands, but consumer trust falls significantly in developed markets like Australia and New Zealand, where just 19 per cent and 21 per cent respectively, trust big global brands.

Unconcerned with monitoring 
Arpapat Boonrod, chief executive of Insights, Thailand, for Kantar, said: “People in Thailand are still relatively open to engaging with brands online. The majority are comfortable sharing their personal data and don’t mind having their activities monitored by their connected devices.
“This presents a great opportunity for brands to leverage this data to truly deliver personalised, relevant content through digital channels and build meaningful relationships. However, there have been examples of brands that have damaged relationships with connected consumers through ineffective or intrusive campaigns. Thus, marketers need to learn from such mistakes to make sure they don’t risk alienating optimistic and open Thai consumers.”
The mobile-first environment of Thailand has also resulted in connected consumers who are more willing to try newer forms of interaction with brands – 41 per cent of consumers are happy to interact with chatbots online, with just 28 per cent saying that they want brands to have an offline presence. The lack of traditional customer service channels in some more rural areas, coupled with the rise of mobile means that innovative advances in online customer service are a welcome development. Chatbots in instant messaging services such as LINE have also been present in Thailand for longer than in other markets, which may explain why this acceptance of AI-powered interaction is far higher than in other countries in the region. In Australia, for example, only 22 per cent accept chatbots as a form of brand interaction.
One quarter (25 per cent) of Thai consumers said that they are willing to pay for products using their mobile phone. This is not as high as other mobile-first markets such as Cambodia (38 per cent) and Myanmar (36 per cent), however it signals interest. With a high population of unbanked consumes, innovative solutions and financial literacy are now needed to overcome local barriers and entice people to start using these newer payment options. 
Michael Nicholas, global lead of connected solutions, Kantar TNS, said “Trust is fragile. Brands in emerging countries see higher levels of consumer trust today than those in developed ones but they shouldn’t take it for granted. To build and protect trust, brands need to put the customer first. That means understanding their motivations, understanding the right moments to engage with them.”