'Blurred gender', 'cash rich, time poor' problems for marketers
Are you prepared for the "grab and go" consumer generation?
Video cameras installed at selected convenience stores have shown young Thai consumers taking is little as five seconds to make their shopping choices and turn to leave, according to leading marketing consultant Kirati Thepsoparn.
Kirati told a recent OmegaWorldClass Research Institute seminar in Bangkok that the latest study conducted by his firm - Vitamins Consulting & Research - had revealed that Thai consumers were currently very pressed for time. They no longer have a real breakfast, but grab a snack at a 7-Eleven store.
Young consumers, in particular, are shunning big stores because they don't want to wait in long queues to pay for their purchases, he said. In contrast to older-generation shoppers who love to go to big stores and buy goods in bulk, young consumers don't plan their purchases and will buy goods only when their home supplies have run out.
Kirati said that video cameras installed in stores to study consumer habits had captured young consumers taking only five seconds to shop for non-food items, and a few seconds more for food. "They simply grab and go," he said.
Some teenagers told researchers they did not like to dine at KFC because photographs they took in the restaurants wouldn't look good. This is because, young consumers use quick-service restaurants as places to meet their friends, Kirati said.
Consultant company Mindshare Thailand's head of business planning Pathamawan Sathaporn told the seminar that marketers should be paying particular attention to four consumer groups: "the pampered generation Z" [up to mid-20s], which has strong purchasing power; the "digital generation", the members of which are now about 10 years old, have grown up in the digital age and look upon things differently than previous generations; the 50+ consumer group, which is large in numbers, feels younger, lives longer, and has both time and money; and the group of working people who tend to do extra jobs, marry later and have a one-child policy.
Pathamawan said that after a bad year, recent surveys had indicated strongly that Thai consumers had shifted into a positive mode in 2010. The Mindshare executive pointed to seven consumer trends this year:
--Body and mind
The achievement of physical wellness and emotional balance continues to be a strong trend. This helps to explain why more people are making merit and visiting temples, and why many people joined the "praying across the years" activity held by many temples over the recent New Year holidays, she said.
However, where it comes to physical wellness, Thais prefer "quick fix" solutions, such as the services of treatment clinics, rather than attending fitness courses, which might be regarded as more appropriate elsewhere in the world.
"They want to look good easily and quickly. They may go to exercise once a month, but visit the Apex [treatment clinic] every week," Pathamawan said.
--Celebrating roots
Nationalism and patriotism are on a rise. A good example is the growing popularity of the Thai Premier League, which in the past received very little attention from the public. Now, it has attracted a lot of fans as well as sponsorships from major brands like Chang Beer and McDonald's.
--Time as currency
Marketers should look at how they can serve the needs of "cash rich, time poor" consumers, Pathamawan said. "Cash rich, time poor" is increasingly the motto of modern society where choices and demands are for fast, full and flexible lives.
--Experiences and escapism
Last year, while consumers spent more time at home, they did not cut down on their trips. "Cash rich, time poor" consumers look to spend their dream vacations at places that can offer them distinctive experiences. This explains boom destinations like Pai [in Mae Hong Son province] and Nepal, she said.
--Me, myself and I
The rise of individualism has created a culture in which consumers are looking for increasingly creative ways to express themselves and their identities. While young women generally express themselves by dressing up, young men show off through things like gadgets and motorbikes. "Bike weeks" are now regular events.
--Role blur
Age, sex and identities are being blurred physically and emotionally. Marketers will often find that a product intended for sale to men will become favoured by women. "So, Golf and Mike's [a music duo] faces are even sweeter than ours," Pathamawan said, referring to her female audience.
--Generosity
Generosity comes to corporations from their Thai roots and the culture of sharing and caring, and is more than corporate social responsibility (CSR), Pathamawan said. Companies should be generous in what they do or provide; generosity should not be regarded as a separate activity.
"One [bad] example is a bank that may attend to its CSR, but its call centre doesn't answer a customer's call," she said.
