As Asia goes mobile-first, Google’s Julian Persuad on top trends
Asia per se and Southeast Asia more specifically, has been leading the growth of mobile globally. Industry experts have discussed this in various conversations to better understand the implications of this growth for consumers, and for marketers. Following a recent study, ‘The Consumer Barometer’, Julian Persuad, Managing Director of Google Southeast Asia, reiterated that the region is now not only a mobile-first region but also the first region to be so.
This has given rise to a new kind of mature consumer. “With Singapore at 85 per cent penetration of smartphones, Indonesia doubling its smartphone numbers in a year, markets like Vietnam and Philippines at 24 per cent and 41 per cent, the region is seeing proliferation of smart devices at a very fast pace. Simultaneously, desktop numbers are dropping. We are essentially seeing a leapfrogging of devices in SE Asia,” Mr Persuad pointed out.
For many users in the region, mobile is the first connected device. The legacy, where connected consumers were born in the desktop age is changing. As this gives rise to consumer behaviours such as multiscreening, the bigger question is how are consumers using these devices and what are they doing.
“It is like a double-edged sword because it is important to know what consumers are using these devices actively for. There are differences in habits across region but broad trends indicate that even as search leads the utility of the medium, there is a an increase towards shopping and video – in many cases, these trends are higher here than in more mature markets,” Mr Persuad explained.
The year 2014 is finally the year when the claims of Asia being a mobile-first region have become a reality, in effect making an impact on all kinds of businesses. An outcome of this also is that businesses are not moving as fast as the consumers. “Consumers are far ahead in the mobile journey. This reflects already on the lack of businesses with mobile optimised sites or relevant mobile presence – a medium where consumers are looking for solutions. The trends of 2015 would rely on how businesses are evolving to narrow the gap between consumer behaviour and their own presence on connected devices,” Mr Persuad summed up.
Mr Persuad was speaking to DMA on the sidelines of a Google initiative for small and medium sized businesses in Singapore.
