Customisation and a desire to stand out from the crowd have long been traits of consumer behaviour in the West, but there is evidence that consumers in Southeast Asia are increasingly adopting the same outlook.
According to Acacia Leroy, an Asia-Pacific strategist at consumer insights firm TrendWatching, more and more consumers in the region are moving away from mass consumption to mass customisation.
“This megatrend arises from people’s basic needs of self-expression and social recognition for their individual tastes, personality and identity through consumption,” she said in comments reported by Southeast Asia Globe.
TrendWatching has dubbed the trend “Youniverse”, an expression employed to encapsulate how Asian consumers are becoming less concerned about conformity as the influences of Western culture, globalisation and the internet take hold.
(Source: WARC.com)