With thousands of new apps becoming available every day, the abundance of consumer choice shows no sign of letting up. The experience economy is in overdrive and while we are all on a quest to get, do and experience as much as possible, Asian consumers in particular have become experts in cramming more into every moment.
It is because of this that Asian consumers will increasingly expect brands to build themselves into their everyday lifestyles. When a product, service or experience is built in, the need to cram is eliminated. This effortless engagement is the ultimate luxury for Asia’s time-pressed, choice-laden consumers.
According to Trend Watching, there are several factors driving this change. For one, the pace of urban living is getting faster. People are too busy juggling too many things to have to cram even more in. Also, with the increase of technology, brand eco-systems and the internet of things, there are greater possibilities for innovation.
Build Into Daily Objects
By brands embedding their offerings into physical objects that consumers are interacting with every day, they are increasing their ability to connect. One example of this comes from the Matsumoto Apple Association which released a line of apples that came with free personalized dental consultations.
The apples came with QR code that connected to a mobile app. Users were instructed to take a few bites of the able and then upload a photo of the bites to the app. Based on the data gathered from the bite marks, users were then offered a free consultation with a professional dentist.
Build Into The Daily Commute
This innovation involves embedding an offering into one of the activities that is a big part of the consumer’s lives: the daily commute. A typical Jakarta resident spends over 400 hours commuting to and from work every year and this issue is found in major cities across Asia. To rectify this, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation created a way for passengers to order fast-food from KFC for delivery while they are on the train.
Build Into Daily Spaces
These services and touch points are built into physical and digital spaces that consumers interact with on a daily basis. For example, Chinese etailer Alibaba partnered with Uber to bring fashion retail to everyday transport.
Users were given the opportunity to call a free minibus using the Uber app. The minibuses contained a selection of clothes that travelers could try on. Anyone lucky enough to catch the bus was able to keep the apparel for free.
The key here is for brands to find your specific touchpoint and think about creative ways of connecting with your customers in ways that fit in seamlessly with their day to day activities. Go beyond simply eliminating the need to cram, and allow consumers to get even more than your standard offering when they engage with your built in service.
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