Asia-Pacific retailers believe in the power of social media above other regions, according to research published by Adobe.
APAC retailers placed an increased focus on social media, with over twice as many retailers prioritising social media strategy compared to retailers from North America and Europe.
According to the report, this focus on social media engagement in the APAC region has been driven by an increasing number of active social media users compared to other regions.
“Retailers in Asia are much more focused on social media engagement and brand-building than their counterparts.
“Data from We Are Social and Hootsuite confirm that the number of active social media users is growing more quickly in Asia than in North America and Europe.”
Adobe also found that retailers would need to adopt data-driven approaches in order to successfully market to customers online.
“Retailers increasingly recognise that a prerequisite of a truly omnichannel and customer-centric business is a data-driven approach that enables them to adopt one-to-one marketing at scale.
“A key undertaking for retailers is to understand the points during the customer journey when decisions are being influenced and preferences are shaped.
“Customer journey mapping can help marketers identify these momentary windows and optimise these interaction with customers.”
Adobe also found that 72% of retailers intended to increase their digital marketing spend in 2018.
This predicted increase for 2018 follows reports that 71% of retailers had already increased their digital marketing spend in the last 12 months.
Nordstrom senior VP of technology Brian Gill stated the need for investment in digital technology was key to the future success of retailers.
“The retail environment is changing faster than ever, but the value of service, speed, convenience and newness remain constant.
“We need to invest in technologies that will enable us to deliver on those qualities and better serve customers in a digitally-connected world”