Marketers, stop adopting aged-based stereotypes. Make it personal.

Most Singaporeans (88%) want to be treated as an individual with unique interests and preferences, with 65% saying they feel negatively towards brands that interact with them based on broad assumptions and labels. These include age-based stereotypes such as "Millennial" and "Gen Z", according to Adobe's new research titled "Trust: Make It Personal".

At the same time, 65% of the 1,000 Singaporeans surveyed now expect businesses to have a clear understanding of who they are, and only contact them with information relevant to what they are interested in at any given moment.

Also, 73% of consumers say they expect personalised experiences from brands they share data with, with 65% wanting real-time offers relevant to them. However, 27% of Singaporeans say brands are not doing this well or are inconsistent in their efforts to keep up with their personal preferences. Regular efforts to engage customers with bespoke offers related to their current interests is of the highest importance - more than four times as many people want frequent, thoughtful gestures (70%) over bigger one-off moments (15%).

On an APAC level, Adobe found that 86% of consumers want to be seen and treated as individuals based on their unique interests and preferences. Singaporeans, in particular, feel strongly about this, with 28% rejecting the stereotypes of their generation and 88% wanting to be seen and treated as an individual. Hence, to win over consumers, brands need to have personalised experiences and this insight is backed by 68% of consumers who are advocating for brands that offer consistent, personalised experiences, Adobe said.

Aside from 1,000 Singaporeans, Adobe also surveyed 2,000 Australians and 2,000 Indians. Three times as many APAC consumers feel closer to people who share their passions and interests (62%) than those of a similar demographic (19%).

Without a doubt, consumer preferences and tastes are constantly evolving, reinforcing the need for brands to move away from simple groupings based on age or other fixed demographic factors.

In fact, most consumers across APAC see themselves and their peer group differently from how they were pre-pandemic and 79% have adjusted their preferences and tastes even further in the past three months. According to Adobe, the average person takes on a new interest or hobby six times a year, rising to 10 times a year for people under the age of 25.

Singaporeans also expect brands to keep up with this change, with 60% of them saying they have changed their favourite brands as their tastes and financial situation has evolved.

Duncan Egan, VP of marketing, Adobe Asia Pacific and Japan, said across the region, customers are calling on brands to demonstrate that they know them, show them, and will help the in the moments that matter - not once, but all the time. "To meet that standard, brands need to unlock preferences in real-time through customer data, and use it to deliver relevant interactions and content at the right moment," he said.

Digital Marketing Asia is back for its 10th year! 10 years of exclusive insights, experience sharing and great success stories. Join us for three days of hyper-focused presentation topics across six tracks on 15 - 17 November and connect with 1000+ of the world's brightest minds in the marketing world to learn and upscale from 85+ speakers from the hottest regional and global brands. Click here to register now!