Global reportsindicate that the APAC economy will increase its slice of world GDP to 43% by the year 2020. This comes as no surprise as the retail industry has been witnessing and in fact been equipping itself for active participation throughout the last decade. APAC wins in the retail arena not just by sheer numbers but also due to their speedy demographic transition and agile adaptive economies which are tuned to the needs of the new age customer and global market conditions.
In 2015, the key emerging retail markets within this eclectic region:
The Philippines: One of the major growth markets in Asia, with over 250 brick and mortar establishments set up in the country in 2014. Its GDP growth is further fuelled by the rise in tourism which is expected to increase by 5.7% year-on-year from 2010-2020. An additional 220 million square feet in shopping center construction is expected to be added by the end of 2015.
South Korea: The country is already APAC’s third largest ecommerce market with sales in South Korea further expected to reach $36.76 billion in 2015. Bloomberg ranked the country second, closely following China, as the Best Emerging Market in 2014.
Vietnam: Vietnam’s population of approximately 90 million is the main driver of growth in the retail market. 70% of the population is currently aged between 15 and 64 years, and this is projected to continue to increase by 2017.
Other APAC countries that are steadily accelerating their mark in the market are Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos. Today, it is truly a global market with equal customer reach, open sourcing and liberalization on direct foreign investment. And thus, we find the APAC retail universe is filled with possibilities and promise.
