Products with superstitious, religious and luxury overtones are the most appealing to Indonesian consumers, a marketing survey shows.<\/p>\n
"Indonesians like simple and entertaining things rather than complicated things that make them think hard," said Handi Irawan, chairman of marketing and research firm Frontier Consulting.<\/p>\n
Heavy television news doesn't attract the nation's citizens, who prefer "simple things like domestic soap operas or shows promoting superstitions", Handi said, adding that comedic endorser Tukul was a national favorite.<\/p>\n
Based on hundreds of studies conducted since 2006, Frontier arrived at 10 traits of the Indonesian consumer, including impulsiveness, an attraction to groups, a love for anything foreign and a tendency to adapt slowly to technological advances.<\/p>\n
One of the reasons the cell phone brand Nokia is successful here is because of the ease of use of its products, Handi said.<\/p>\n
"People here like to buy the latest high-tech telecommunication products, but ironically many of them only use them for sending text messages and phoning," he said, adding that only 2 percent of cellular subscribers accessed the Internet through their phones.<\/p>\n
Handi further said most consumers here tended to engage in "impulsive buying" of consumer goods because they were "basically relaxed and simple-minded, and not used to planning well in their life like Westerners.<\/p>\n
"That's why the insurance sector contributed only 1.7 percent to the country's gross domestic product last year," he said.<\/p>\n
The group's conclusions notwithstanding, he said, the case among different industries might prove different from one to another.<\/p>\n
"Not all industries have similar customer behavior and not all behavior tendencies are applicable to all products," he said.<\/p>\n
Thus, he said, there was a need for each sector to map its own customer behavior.<\/p>\n
"Nevertheless, geographic conditions, cultural background and education also influence customer behavior. Therefore Indonesian customers tend to share similar characteristics with consumers in Asia," he said. (rff)<\/p>\n
10 Indonesian consumers characteristics:<\/p>\n
- Prefer immediate benefits<\/p>\n
- Do not have long-term plans<\/p>\n
- Like to spend time with friends and relatives<\/p>\n
- Slow in adapting to technology<\/p>\n
- Prefer context to content<\/p>\n
- Like foreign brands<\/p>\n
- Attracted to the religious and superstitious<\/p>\n
- Like to show off<\/p>\n
- Have strong subcultural influences<\/p>\n
- Less aware of the environment<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/superstitious-religious-overtones-lure-ri-consumers-1209014863", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }