Content creators in Asia Pacific are proving immensely influential in purchase decisions made around children’s products, according to the latest 2020 Kids Digital Insights study by digital media company TotallyAwesome.

The study found that 59% of children are making purchase requests associated with an influencer, while content creators impacted 55% of parents purchasing an item because it was associated with a content creator. The study also added that majority of a family's spend in Asia Pacific (98%) is influenced by their children's preferences.

In Singapore (71%), Malaysia (67%) and Indonesia (69%), a majority of the 4,480 children surveyed are making purchase requests associated with content creators.

For Singapore and Indonesia in particular, the study found that content creators impact 62% of parents' purchases. Meanwhile, content creators in Malaysia impact 64% of parents' buying decisions.

Fragmenting engagement

The report also observed increasing fragmentation of audience engagement for content creators targeting children.

Although more than 30% of children in Singapore have TikTok and nearly 50% have Instagram, YouTube remains the dominant platform. Likewise, while nearly 30% of Malaysian children have TikTok and nearly 50% have Instagram, and nearly 41% of Indonesian children have TikTok and 49% have Instagram, the study found that YouTube is still ahead of its competitors.

Meanwhile, during COVID-19, snacks (87%) came out as the top category where children have the greatest influence during COVID-19. Books and comics (84%), stationery (83%), movies (79%), game applications (78%) and entertainment choices such as cable TV subscriptions (73%) are also equally influenced by children.

When it came to brands leading in online engagement in Asia Pacific, Lay's, Cadbury and Oreo topped the snacks/confectioneries category, while LEGO, Disney and Barbie were ranked the top three in the toys category. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Milo were the top three for drinks in Asia Pacific.

Online advertising pushing activity down the funnel

The study attributed brand popularity among children in Asia Pacific to the increase in online engagement driven by online advertising, which is making it easier for children to jump from discovery to purchase.

About 62% of Singaporean children looked up a product online while 59% talked about it with their parents after viewing an online ad. Majority of Indonesian children (71%) surveyed also looked up a product online after seeing an ad on the Internet, while 68% of them talked about it with their friends. On the other hand, 66% of Malaysian children either discussed with their friends about a product or asked their parents to buy it, while 65% looked it up online.

According to the study, the use of applications has grown by 85% and co-viewing has also inspired families to find video content to connect. A majority of parents and children (86%) are also spending time together online, watching cartoons (72%), movies (71%), videos (65%) and playing games (57%) together ever since COVID-19 struck.

Cartoon, Disney, Netflix, Music and Tedx were among the top co-viewing choices in Singapore, while Upin and Ipin, Didi and Friends, Omar and Hana were among the top in Malaysia. In Indonesia, gaming, cartoons, YouTube Kids, Upin and Ipin, and music were among the popular co-viewing choices.

TotallyAwesome's CEO Will Anstee said with online engagement for children below the age of 13 at an all-time high due to COVID-19 lockdowns that this has become the “battleground for brands”.

"Children desire interactive, immersive experiences to engage. Brands need to take their passive content and make it active to succeed. Some brands are doing this successfully by activating the kids metaverse but most are not," he added.

The study surveyed 4,480 internet users aged four to 16 across Asia Pacific markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Sourced from Marketing Interactive