Primed for growth: Bold strategies for S-E Asian businesses

CONSUMER product companies and brands are beginning to regain their footing following several difficult quarters in which surging inflation, dim economic prospects, and rising interest rates slowed spending on consumer goods in many sectors. For consumer product companies, growth has largely come from pricing rather than volume. In South-east Asia, consumers have cut their spending in the short term. But the good news is that macro forces are ripe for long-term growth.

For brands that are already present in South-east Asia and those that are exploring a meaningful presence here, having a playbook on the rules of the game and the trends that are shaping the region’s consumer categories is key.

With that goal in mind, in Q3 2023, Bain & Company partnered with Meta and DSG Consumer Partners to conduct a survey with consumer product company senior executives and 9,000 consumers from across South-east Asia to gain insights into issues likely to drive the region’s consumer products expansion over the next five years. The results are captured in our recently released Sync South-east Asia report, Bold Moves: Leading Southeast Asia’s Next Wave of Consumer Growth.