Infographic: Can more be done to lure Malaysian kids to spend online?

Malaysian kids say that have never shopped online, said a study by kids digital media company SuperAwesome Asia.The study look at 6 to 14 year olds’ spending habits, digital behaviour and media consumption across key markets in Southeast Asia namely - Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.Instead, the study said about 66% of the Malaysian kids would purchase drinks and 18% said they would rather buy magazines. This is in line with the spending habits of most kids in ASEAN who are far more likely to spend easily on consumable products than anything else. On average, 65% of them claim to spend their pocket money on drinks and snacks, with only 44% choosing toys and less than 15% on computer games.Generally, the study shows digital spending is not the norm in SEA - with 64% of kids in the region said they’ve never made online purchases or spent their pocket money on digital products.  Thailand, however, emerges as the only country where a significant amount of kids choose to spend on apps. The report interviewed 1,800 kids aged 6 to 14 across 5 key ASEAN markets mentioned above.However, Vietnamese kids, unlike other ASEAN kids, are 40% less likely to spend their money on drinks than their Thai and Indonesian neighbours. Vietnam is also the only country researched where kids choose to spend their pocket money on books and comics (55%) and toys (54%) over food and drink brands.In comparison to the western world, UK kids of a similar age favour spending their pocket money on games (63%), clothes (45%) and eating out (33%).Huge potential for global toy brands in ASEANNot surprising, with consumables being a favorite - 75% of ASEAN kids instantly recognise brands like KFC, Milo, Paddle Pop, Ovaltine and McDonald’s. But, major toy lines like Nerf, My Little Pony and Hot Wheels are identified by less than 35% of these 6 to 14 year olds.For example, Malaysia and Singapore have the highest toy brand recognition in the region, with over 80% recognising LEGO, but most other toy companies fall 20% behind in familiarity.On the bright side, whilst recognition for international toy brands is low, brand affinity is still high. The report shows that, on average, kids in ASEAN would rate their favourite toy companies 4 out of 5.Quan Nguyen, regional CEO of SuperAwesome Asia said it is an exciting time for global toy brands as the report confirms that kids in Southeast Asia love to play with their favourite toys, but are simply unaware of the huge choice of products on offer.“If they can gain anywhere near the recognition that food and drink brands have in the region, this creates a huge opportunity for toy companies to bridge the gap between awareness and popularity and to build their relationships with the kids audience in Southeast Asia,” he added.