Dentsu Launches Landmark Future Consumer Study In Asia Pacific

Dentsu, a global leader in marketing and communications, proudly announces the release of its global study, Consumer Vision 2035 – ‘The Era of the Insight-to-Foresight Pivot’, in Asia Pacific. This landmark report surveys 30,000 individuals across 26 countries, including 11,000 circa participants from 10 countries in APAC, offering a comprehensive exploration of the long-term trends shaping the future of technology, culture, consumers, and brands on the pathway to 2035.

Key Findings:

• AI Integration: A staggering 62% of APAC consumers (vs 49% globally) express a desire to have an AI clone by 2035, tasked with handling shopping, administrative, and communication tasks.
• Outsourcing Trends: 88% of APAC consumers, the highest globally, are inclined to delegate work and personal scheduling duties to AI assistants, with several countries scoring notably above the regional average.
• Emergence of ‘AI Gatekeepers’: The study predicts the rise of AI Gatekeepers, which consumers will rely on for recurring purchases, ad vetting, and representing them in focus groups, streamlining interactions with brands. 85% of APAC consumers would like to have an AI assistant do this by 2035, as compared to a global average of 77%. 
• Cultural Shifts: Brands will need to become more perceptive in order to garner consumer attention in the AI-filtered and culturally reshaped reality on the horizon.
• Relationships with AI: 70% of APAC consumers think that by 2035, relationships with AI companions can be as fulfilling and rewarding as human-to-human relationships. This was highest in India (81%) and China (78%).

As technology advancements cocoon consumers, nature will constrain them as societal conventions around growth and prosperity will be further unseated. This will create a landscape where assumptions that previously perpetuated culture and business are re-examined.

Consequently, consumers will increasingly prioritise emotional connections with brands, with 75% stating that mood significantly influences their purchase decisions. The study also shows that most consumers wish they were more impulsive and actively seek experiences that elicit visceral emotions.

Each of the forces outlined in the research carries implications for brands, but across the entire study the ability to pivot from insight to foresight emerged as the critical quality needed to anticipate and deliver on predicted emotional states, a new requirement to thrive as a business by 2035.

Dominic Powers, chief growth officer, dentsu APAC, remarked, “Consumer Vision 2035 unveils the dawn of a transformative era across technology, culture, and consumer expectations. As we navigate toward an AI-filtered future, businesses must proactively adapt to meet evolving consumer needs. These insights serve as a compass for people-centred transformation, fostering long-term brand resilience and innovation.”

The complete Consumer Vision 2035 study is available here.