The Here Comes the Centennial: Southeast Asia’s Next Generation of Shoppers, produced by Econsultancy in collaboration with Dentsu Aegis Network, is based on a survey of over 3,000 young consumers within Southeast Asia about their commerce habits.
Defined as individuals born between 1995-2003, the research looks at their buying behaviour, how they look for products, and the expectations that this group has when it comes to the buying experience. The survey was conducted across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Some key findings include:
- Centennials are likely to have their first encounter with the products they will purchase online – 86% agree that “I usually see products that I want to buy online first”. This confirms the idea of the ‘Zero Moment of Truth’ among Centennials, showing that when looking for information the internet is their first point of call for buying decisions.
- 82% state that they “prefer to buy products ethical / sustainable brands” while 70% express a preference for local brands.
- 74% shop at a website with brand names (e.g. Amazon, Lazada, Tmall) but Centennials also want to buy through social media / chat apps (46%).
- 56% preferred cash on delivery, while 48% paid via credit / debit card.
Some infographics have been prepared for you to use in your own decks and presentations.
Acknowledgements
As well as those who took part in our online survey, Econsultancy would like to thank the following people for their additional insights:
- Arvind Sethumadhavan, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, Dentsu Aegis Network
- Patrick Deloy, Managing Director, Isobar Commerce
- Nasheet Islam, Head of GrabAds, Grab
- Gary Wong, Head of GrabPay Singapore, Grab
- Alin Dobrea, Head of Brand Marketing, Zalora
- Stephen Jacob, Chief Marketing Officer, Paneco Singapore
- Jeff Kwek, General Manager, Channel Business, AMS, Tencent