Post-pandemic travellers have shifted their shopping behaviours and preferences, prompting duty-free retailers to rethink their consumer engagement strategies to foster recovery and growth. In response, South Korean duty-free operators have introduced new loyalty programmes tailored to specific consumer microsegments, offering more personalised benefits. To thrive, brands are moving away from a one-size-fits-all model in the design and management of their loyalty schemes.
The global travel industry is expected to experience unprecedented growth in 2024, with 1.5 billion international trips forecast to generate a record-breaking USD1.9 trillion in tourism spending. Yet travel dynamics have changed profoundly due to global events such as the pandemic, wellness and sustainability and rapid technological advances.
With China, Japan and South Korea accounting for 40% of the value of the global e-commerce market, it is imperative that regional and global players learn to navigate these markets to drive growth in the region. There is no universal approach, but learnings from East Asia’s advanced and competitive e-commerce markets provide strong inputs to formulate winning strategies, in East Asia or beyond.
New Indian brands like Noise and Fire-Boltt dominate consumer electronics in India with affordable but feature-rich products. This trend of affordable indulgence is reshaping consumer behaviour, with India's TWS earbuds and activity wearables market projected to reach USD8.2 billion by 2029.
An improving supply outlook and muted demand have eased pressures in the commodity markets. In 2024, weaker manufacturing activity in key markets is set to limit price growth for energy and metals, while robust crop forecasts should curb agrifood price increases.
Products and brands heavily into wellness and biophilic design tend to grow faster than their sectors, with this trend booming in part due to how insane so much of our life away from home has become. Wellness drives investments in our homes against the backdrop of a negative growth industry, offering brands a premium position, and it is strongest as a trend in the parts of the world like South East Asia and Latin America where brands most want to win, but have also been struggling to expand.