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RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

ways. Many e-commerce companies do this by bringing five (60%) consumers say that they are more likely to
in big names from the entertainment world to bedazzle buy from a brand if they enjoy playing a game with it.
at these events. And consumers are lapping it up: near- Shopee found that brands that incorporate interactive
ly one in every five conversations about mega-sales elements like quizzes to engage customers saw 6
this year revolved around e-commerce partnerships times more likes and 7 times more clicks per post on
with popular K-pop groups like Mamamoo, BTS, Twice, the platform.
and Treasure. Retailers need to go beyond price and
promotions to attract and engage audiences in the long The fact is that the Covid-19 crisis has accelerated
run. people’s reliance on e-commerce for a range of essen-
tial needs. According to a report by Facebook and Bain
Having spent over a year-and-a-half in some form of & Company, groceries were this year’s fastest growing
lockdown or pandemic induced restrictions, consumers online shopping segment and the enthusiasm trickled
are missing the experiential aspect of shopping in phys- to social media, as conversations around online gro-
ical stores. As a result, shoppers are now increasingly cery shopping nearly doubled (93%) since last year.
seeking differentiated and immersive shopping experi- But not only are shoppers buying more – and different
ences. One example of this is livestreaming, which has – products than they used to, but they’re also transact-
quickly grown to become a billion-dollar global phenom- ing differently. Changing necessities and preferences
enon. In Southeast Asia, more than 1.4 million social have accelerated the shift towards real-time payments
media conversations around livestream shopping have as nearly half (53%) of Southeast Asian consumers
taken place in 2021 so far, which is twice (213%) more report using these more frequently now.
than the same time last year. Shopee also reported 2.5
times increase in annual live stream viewership on its Consumers are nowadays not only driven by prices and
platform. Notably, the fastest growth came from audi- discounts, but they are also seeking deeper, more real-
ences aged between 34 to 50, proving that the popular- time engagement in their online shopping journey – and
ity of this format is not limited to younger generations they’re being vocal about this. The post-pandemic e-
only. commerce surge is real, and it’s here to stay. Brands
that want to make the most of this growth need to keep
Gamification is another trend consumers are toying up with shifts in shopper preferences. The key to cap-
with. Social media conversations around this increased turing these emerging opportunities starts with keeping
by 48% in the region this year, as consumers took to an ear out for what consumers are saying. ◊
Twitter and online forums to discuss different aspects
of gamified shopping experiences. Importantly, three in By Meltwater

10 December 2021: Customer Journey Analytics