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As the world transitions toward post-COVID endemicity, Asian economies are expected to bounce back the fastest. After two years of reacting to unpredictable swings in lockdown-induced consumers, brands and marketers have a chance to lay the groundwork for the next stage of growth.

Amid the return to the “new normal”, there are four trends retail brands need to look out for when it comes to their marketing strategies for 2022:

1. eCommerce didn’t kill bricks-and-mortar. Even though consumers learned that life can mostly go on in the digital realm, the human connection remains indispensable. The future will be clicks-and-mortar.
2. Algorithms won’t replace designers. Creativity and craftsmanship are still central to the DNA of a brand. Technology should be seen as a complementary element rather than the be-all and end-all.
3. Consumers have grown savvier. The pandemic has made shoppers more conscious about how and where they spend, so marketers should strive to ensure their products deliver real value.
4. Personalisation is more crucial than ever. With the right tools and marketing technology, data-driven personalisation can be done at scale across both online and offline environments.

Although the pandemic upended retail shopping, brands also have more tools at their disposal to harness the power of big data, artificial intelligence, and consumer insights. The use of three key technologies – cloud commerce, shopping apps, and location analytics – gives marketers the ability to stay agile and react to trends in real time.

But the question is, has consumer behaviour changed for good? Or will they revert to old habits from before the pandemic at the earliest opportunity? To find out, marketers need to do the following:

• Uncover mobility patterns. Who are the people seen around specific points of interest, such as malls or F&B outlets? Where are they coming from?
• Measure footfall levels. Should footfall be measured at a single point in time, or should marketers also consider timescales they hadn’t looked at before?
• Rethink what they know. Marketers should rebuild consumer journeys – from scratch if need be – as the path to purchase for most people will no longer be linear.
• Track distance travelled. Does the average consumer prefer to shop in the vicinity of their place of residence, or are they willing to travel further as restrictions ease?
• Trace outlet overlaps. Some shoppers may visit more than one outlet or mall for their needs. What’s the profile of these consumers?

While the answers to the above are not fixed and may change with time, marketers should leverage mobility intelligence and optimisation to stay ahead. Here’s how three brands did it.