经济
学人
亚洲
数字
千禧
一代
移动
社交
国界
英文
2019.6
24
Supported by:ASIAS DIGITAL MILLENNIALSMobile,social and borderless1Asias digital millennialsMobile,social and borderless The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019Contents2 About the research4 Executive summary7 Introduction:Racing ahead Asias mobile leapfrog The importance of infrastructure10 Chapter 1:Connecting a generation Chat and messenger services Engagement entwined Mobile gaming adoption Video streaming18 Chapter 2:Confronting millennial preferences20 Conclusion:Drivers of a changing world2Asias digital millennialsMobile,social and borderless The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019About the researchAsias digital millennials:Mobile,social and borderless is an Economist Intelligence Unit report,commissioned by the Singapore Economic Development Board.It is the first of a two-part research programme that explores how millennials are shaping the digital economy through their use of online and mobile technologies for recreation and commerce.In particular,it examines the ways in which the consumer behaviour and digital habits of millennials in Asia converge or diverge from those in other parts of the world.This briefing paper is based upon two strands of research:In early 2018,The Economist Intelligence Unit surveyed 826 millennials across 12 countries in the following geographies:South-east Asia(Indonesia,Singapore),East Asia(China,South Korea)and the West(Denmark,Finland,Germany,Iceland,Norway,Sweden,the UK and the US)to compare the different regions trends.The survey sample is divided evenly by gender and age groups,18-26 and 27-35.In addition to the survey,we conducted a series of in-depth interviews with experts.Our thanks are due to the following individuals for their time and insights:-Jiejing Chen,co-founder,Circl-Andy Chun,regional director,technology innovation,Prudential Corporation Asia-Greg Day,vice-president and chief security officer,EMEA,Palo Alto Networks-Ben Grossmann,co-founder and CEO,Magnopus826 millennials across 12 countries 3Asias digital millennialsMobile,social and borderless The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019-Shane Happach,executive vice-president and head of global e-commerce,Worldpay-Babak Hodjat,co-founder and CEO,Sentient Technologies-Timothy Lee,founder and CEO,Circl-Soma Ramasamy,vice-president,cross-border markets and international business development,PayPal-Sergio Salvador,talent adviser and executive coach,Egon Zehnder-Joanne Waage,general manager,CrunchyrollThe report was edited by Charles Ross and Michael Gold.HuiQi Yow provided editorial support.The Economist Intelligence Unit bears sole responsibility for its content.The findings and views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsor.4Asias digital millennialsMobile,social and borderless The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019Executive summaryThe worlds millennial generation is a major driving force behind the digital economy.Their consumption patterns and preferences underpin the growth of new interconnecting ecosystems of recreation and commerce.Relative to millennials in Europe and the US,those in Asia are unique in that they are both digital and mobile natives,with many in the more recently developing markets of South-east Asia and China having gone online first through their mobile phones.This study highlights differences in their consumption habits borne out of this unique experience.We found that Asian millennials are much more likely than their Western counterparts to:1.Be heavier users of chat/messenger services and use those and other social networks to influence their purchasing decisions and those of others.-When asked what their primary uses for mobile apps are,67%of South-east Asian respondents and 61%of East Asian respondents say chat and messenger services,compared with 51%of Western respondents.-When millennials were asked if they share their experiences with products and services on social media to help inform others,69%and 64%in South-east Asia and East Asia,respectively,agreed,compared with 48%in the West.The importance of chat to Asian millennials underlines its growth as a platform beyond messaging.This offers opportunities for companies to engage them through more advanced features,such as chatbots,both those driven by artificial intelligence(AI)and those with real staff.The readiness of millennials to share their experiences provides opportunities for businesses to convert millennial customers into influencers.5Asias digital millennialsMobile,social and borderless The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 20192.Have adopted mobile e-payments faster,selecting it as their favoured means of payment(over debit cards,still the most popular method in the West).-Seven in ten and eight in ten respondents in South-east Asia and East Asia,respectively,agree that the availability of e-payment services have made them more comfortable in making mobile purchases,versus a corresponding figure in the West of only 53%.-When making online purchases of physical goods,the option of using a digital or mobile wallet for payment is important to 74%of millennials in South-east Asia and 72%in East Asia,but only for 57%of millennials in the West.3.Have deeper and broader tastes,stretching from local and global,making their preferences both complex and unpredictable.-Access to a wide range of global content is the most important factor increasing the popularity of video streaming for 46%and 37%of respondents in South-east Asia and East Asia,respectively,compared with 30%of respondents in the West.Millennials comfort with mobile payments offers opportunities for businesses to build better mobile experiences for their websites,and integrate both website and app with a smooth hand-off to a broad range of payment options that encourage the mobile user to complete a purchase on the phone.6Asias digital millennialsMobile,social and borderless The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019-When asked if they expect to shop more frequently from international vendors in the next three years,62%of millennials in South-east Asia and 72%of millennials in East Asia agreed,versus only 47%of millennials in the West.This embrace of international content and products offers companies in Asia a chance to both expand the range of internationally sourced goods and services they offer,and to reduce the friction and cost for obtaining those products.South-east Asian millennials,for example,are just as picky about the cost of shipping as their Western counterparts(51%said it was very important in both groups),suggesting that theres room for businesses to find cheaper ways to ship goods around the region.Access to a wide range of global content is the most important factor increasing the popularity of video streaming for 46%and 37%of respondents in South-east Asia and East Asia,respectively,compared with 30%of respondents in the West.7Asias digital millennialsMobile,social and borderless The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019Introduction:Racing aheadMillennials are a key consumer demographic,described by A.T.Kearney in a recent study as“fast becoming the worlds most important generational cohort for consumer spending growth,sourcing of employees and overall economic impact”.1 The millennial generationconsidered those born between roughly 1981 and 1997number about 2bn,or a quarter of the worlds population.About 58%of them,according to A.T.Kearney,live in Asia.As young adults,they are key to understanding the consumption patterns of the future.But there are also key differences,particularly between millennials in Asia and those in other regions,and between different Asian regions.The digital consumption habits of Asias millennials have been deeply informed by the contours of each markets recent economic growth.The forces at work are complex and include the pace and speed of development,internet and mobile phone access,regulatory environments,income levels,and market competition dynamics,among other factors.However,two unifying trends remain consistent across Asia:a comparatively late digital start and a rapid pace of adoption.The“catch-up”speed alone has,in many ways,enabled the region to leapfrog the more mature markets of Europe and the US.Moreover,as the region continues gathering momentum in creating its own unique digital landscape,it is also propelling Asias millennials into the future.They are increasing their consumption habits of digital media at faster paces than their peers.For businesses operating in the region,these trends mean they must both cater to the unique differences in the behaviour of Asias digital millennials as compared with the rest of the world,while being agile enough to respond to the rapid change that has become the norm in the digital landscape.Asias mobile leapfrogCompared with other regions,Asia was slow to embrace the internet and,even now,is some way behind Western Europe and North America in terms of reach.In 2007,while 75%of the North American population and 60%of the EU population had access to the internet,only 21%of those living in East Asia and the Pacific and less than 4%of those living in South Asia did,according to International Telecommunication Union data.By 2016 the West(EU and North America)had reached at least 78%internet penetration,while East Asia sat at 56%.2 Mobile,however,tells a different story:a wave of deregulation in Asia in the 1990s allowed mobile carriers to roll out networks and leapfrog the cable-bound West.The gap in connectivity has duly narrowed.By 2013 East Asia and the Pacific had already caught up with North America in mobile subscriptions.Even South Asia,a slow starter in mobile,had 87 mobile subscriptions per 100 people by 2017.3These figures conceal the room for even more growth in mobile users in Asia.While Asia will add 424m new subscribers by 20251 Erik R Peterson,Ari Sillman and Courtney Rickert McCaffrey,“Where are the Global Millennials?”,A.T.Kearny and the Global Business Policy Council,https:/ Individuals using the Internet(%of population),The World Bank based on International Telecommunication Union data,World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database,https:/data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS?contextual=default&locations=Z4-XU-EU-8S3 Mobile cellular subscriptions(per 100 people),The World Bank based on International Telecommunication Union data,World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database,https:/data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P2?end=2017&locations=Z4-8S-EU-XU&start=19918Asias digital millennialsMobile,social and borderless The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019more than half of the global growth in new subscriptionsit will still leave nearly 40%of South Asians,24%of South-east Asians and 16%of East Asians without subscriptions.4 For most of these mobile users,hand-held devices are now their access points to the internet.According to data from the China Internet Network Information Center,of the countrys 802m internet users,98%of them are accessing it via mobile.5 Nearly 100%of respondents in South-east Asia and East Asia said they owned a smartphone,compared with 92%in Western countries,according to our survey.The importance of infrastructureAdvancements in mobile broadband maturity throughout the region will also help it rush further ahead in terms of speed and bandwidth.According to GSMA,a global association of telecom operators,Asia is already home to some of the worlds most advanced markets in terms of 4G adoption,such as South Korea,Japan and Australia;emerging markets like India,Bangladesh and Indonesia will be the key drivers of 4G growth over the next few years.More countries are also deploying even faster networks,with Ericsson,a Swedish telecoms giant,expecting 10%of Asias mobile subscriptions to run on cutting-edge 5G networks by 2022.By 2025 GSMA forecasts that 5G connections will reach 675m across Asia-Pacific,accounting for more than half of the global total for 5G.Figure I.Get smartWhich of the following digital devices do you own?(%of respondents who own a smartphone)Source:The Economist Intelligence UnitWest100806040200East Asia(China,South Korea)South-east Asia(Singapore,Indonesia)92961004 The Mobile Economy:Asia Pacific 2018,GSMA,https:/ 42次 中国互联网络发展状况统计报告,China Internet Network Information Center,August 20th 2018,https:/ Chinese)By 2025 GSMA forecasts that 5G connections will reach 675m across Asia-Pacific,accounting for more than half of the global total for 5G.9Asias digital millennialsMobile,social and borderless The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 201910Asias digital millennialsMobile,social and borderless The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 2019Chapter 1:Connecting a generationKey to the rapid growth of mobile in Asia is a sophisticated user base with a natural inclination to gravitate to new technology.Asia may have come to the internet late,but consumers there have quickly embraced and adapted the social tools of the West,or built their own.South Korea invented Cyworld,which started as a virtual world in 1999 and added social networking features in 2001,6 while Mixi was launched in Japan in 2004,and had over 10m users by 2007.7 Timothy Lee of Circl,an Asia-based food and beverage platform for consumers and retailers,recalls that his friend Michael Birch,who co-founded social media site Bebo in early 2005,8 found that one of the earliest markets to embrace the platform was Singapore.Users have been remarkably loyal,reflecting just how much they have integrated these networks into their lives.By the late 2000s,although people elsewhere had already dumped Friendster,the first real social networking platform,for Facebook,it retained a loyal following in South-east Asia and opened offices in Manila and Singapore in 2006 and 2007,respectively,9 hiring 70 people to handle regional sales and marketing.10Eventually Facebook and Twitter edged out these sites in the region,but the early embrace of social networking by digital consumers in Asia,alongside rapid mobile adoption,has continued to demonstrate rapid uptake.By 2012 Indonesias capital Jakarta was posting more tweets than any other city;after Tokyo,London,So Paulo and New York,the next busiest was Bandung,one of Indonesias largest cities.11 Countries like Indonesia and the Philippines have now become some of the US platforms most successful adherents.Chat and messenger servicesThese factors have helped propel another significant difference between Asias millennials and the West:Asias digital consumers are heavier users of chat and messenger services,a trend driven by how multi-faceted local platforms have become.Chat and messenger services are the primary functions of mobile apps for more than 60%of users in Asia,compared with only 51%in Western countries.The popularity of chat-based platforms in Asia reflects the extensive reach of appssuch as WeChat in China and Line in Japanthat have created powerful and engaging multi-functional platforms.These embed mobile Theres a nature and a