Task: Signal potential consumer changes of significance in Asia before they occur with clear actions for marketers as an outcome.

Audience: Inflation Impact study with 9000 adults across 6 Southeast Asian countries.

Creative Intelligence: The study validated a common fear of inflation greatly impacting most of the population, while only the rich are able to deal with the repercussions of the inflated prices.

Hard selling as a tactic and fear-based marketing added to the stress that Southeast Asian households were already facing, and marketers need to display genuine empathy for their consumers in order to win them over.

Not even eCommerce had been spared by the recent onslaught of high inflation. The rapid rise in digital spending across Southeast Asia during the pandemic now faces a reality check.

Moving forward, competition will intensify and stronger value propositions from e-commerce platforms will become more important.