Asia: Marketers must work smarter in tougher conditions

Economies across Asia have been facing headwinds of late, with consumers battling inflation and cost-of-living pressures. The opening panel discussion at this year’s Asiafruit Congress on 3 September explored the impact on shopper behaviour and looked at the broader opportunities to grow fresh produce sales in Asia’s fast-evolving consumer markets. Antony Greenstein, CEO of leading pan-Asia distributor Joy Wing Mau Asia, said the economic data coming out of the region did not reflect the on-the-ground realities for the fresh produce business. “The general figures on GDP growth point to around 4.9 per cent for Asia. The forecasts optimistically predict this to trend upwards, and for inflation to come down from 5 per cent to around 2.5 per cent. But it’s a different story in terms of what’s going on in the market,” said Greenstein. “In Asia, most people we talk to are saying the Covid initiatives and stimulus has washed out of the system. Inflation has basically eroded disposable ...