Study: What are the common online shopping styles among Indonesians?

Most Indonesians consider themselves "planners" (64%), individuals who research their purchases in advance, while 14% consider themselves "impulse" shoppers. Among the 64% of "planners", 42% of them admit to becoming impulsive shoppers during online shopping festivals, according to the 2021 Indonesia Online Shopping Festival Trends Report by YouGov commissioned by The Trade Desk. The report said this addresses the need for brands to invest more to drive greater brand awareness, consideration and recall to increase brand loyalty.

Meanwhile, 44% of Indonesians are indifferent or neutral to the brands they currently use, while 52% are keen to learn about new brands during online shopping festivals. At the same time, eight out of 10 Indonesians (82%) shop online at least once per month, and one in four make online purchases several times a week or more. With upcoming online shopping festivals such as 10.10, 11.11 Singles’ Day and 12.12, the report spotlights emerging consumer insights and outlines how marketers can drive brand awareness to maximise consumer buying opportunities. 

OTT is also a key channel in driving awareness among frequent online shoppers. The number of Indonesians who spend time watching OTT has increased by 12% over the past five months, with almost half of online shoppers (48%) saying that they learn about deals and promotions from advertisements that run on these OTT platforms. This also holds true for other upper funnel media formats, as 25% of frequent online shoppers hear about deals and promotions via ads heard on music streaming services.

To capture consumers' attention during online shopping festivals, brands should stay top-of-mind with 'planned' shoppers throughout their purchase journey and drive brand recall with 'impulse' shoppers.

Another way is to create meaningful connections with impactful content. According to the report, 59% of consumers prefer ad content that makes them laugh while 52% prefer those with real life and relatable events or scenarios. A significant portion (44%) also prefer memorable jingles and songs.

Florencia Eka, country manager of The Trade Desk in Indonesia, said that online shopping festivals present both a challenge and an opportunity for marketers. “With one in two consumers interested to learn about new brands during this time, modern marketers should look beyond last-mile marketing and focus on driving brand fundamentals to retain existing customers who may not be brand loyal,” she added. Fieldwork for the report was done between 8 to 12 July 2021, and 2,181 adult Indonesians took part in the survey.

In a separate 11.11 Playbook launched recently by The Trade Desk, the company also offered three tips for success during and beyond online shopping festivals.

1. Invest in brand basics

Brands should supplement their performance campaigns with strong branding fundamentals. Driving awareness, consideration, and preference remain key to positioning the brand for success during the customer journey of "planners" and influencing last-minute purchases from "impulse" shoppers.

2. Build a full-funnel strategy

Brands should consider implementing a media strategy that reaches Indonesians as they listen to music, watch TV and movies online, browse social media, and read the news digitally. At the same time, the playbook said that upper funnel formats are key to driving awareness of 11.11 deals and promotions.

Secondly, brands should ensure that their measurement strategy captures the full contribution of each channel and that they are not focused exclusively on the last-click before purchase.

3. Focus on impactful content

Brands should focus on impactful content instead of big-budget talent when it comes to creatives. The Trade Desk said that brands don't need to pay top dollar for celebrity endorsements, which are significantly less popular than ads that make viewers laugh or depict relatable real-life scenarios.

Join our Digital Marketing Asia conference happening from 9 November 2021 - 25 November 2021 to learn about the upcoming trends and technologies in the world of digital. Check out the agenda here. 

Photo courtesy: 123RF

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