Asian Americans hold a unique and powerful position as both financial drivers and influencers in today's digitally powered path to purchase, according to Nielsen's newly published Diverse Intelligence Series consumer report. This influence can be seen in the fact that products like naan bread and Asian dumpling appetizers have experienced at least 11% revenue growth over the past three years alone.
The Asian American path to purchase is affected by a myriad of influences that are heavily rooted in cultural traditions as well as their cross-cultural identity. Understanding these drivers of behavior is essential for marketers to exercise empathy and establish real connections with Asian American consumers.
For Asian Americans, the consumer journey is a circular model that begins with scouring product reviews during the discovery phase and providing feedback after the purchase. Due to Asian Americans' proclivity for reviewing the products they purchase, a favorable experience can turn these consumers into brand loyalists with the power to influence their friends, families and entire consumer groups and product categories.
Key insights featured in the Nielsen report include:
- 53% of Asian Americans agree with the statement "My spouse has a significant impact on the brands I choose," while 42% cite the influence of their children.
- 29% of Asian Americans agree with "I prefer to buy things my friends or neighbors would approve of" (over-indexing by 15%).
- 97% of Asian American households have a smartphone, over-indexing against the total population by 6%, and 89% have a computer, over-indexing by 13%.
