The rise of the digital ecosystem in Asia has a profound effect on the way consumers have shopped. That’s not surprising. What is interesting however, is how this is now linked and increasingly linking to how people think about social causes, especially thinking about sustainable, inclusive growth.
In particular, consumers in Asia are thinking about how their products and their choices affect the environment, and also the social causes behind it. And I say that because I believe that consumers in Asia are much more affected by things like climate change.
So, for everything like fine dust in Korea to pollution in India to forest fires that affect Southeast Asia, many of the urban consumers here know firsthand what it means when we don’t have sustainable growth.
This is reflected in the way they purchase online. If you look at brands like Allbirds which is selling sustainable footwear, and that is sold digitally only, that shows the success and the power of how the digital platforms can help accelerate consumer preferences. And any bad reviews, anything linked with poor views of the social or environmental consequences of products are easily seen in the online environment.
I believe this will be a great catalyst for how consumers shop, and how that will force brands to accept and thrive in how to think about sustainable, inclusive growth in their products.
