In Asia, innovation is seen as the process of creating new and novel solutions to fulfill unmet customer needs. Asian businesses prioritize innovation that empowers them to retain their customers (70%) and more than half (53%) are likely to adopt innovation that achieves this goal, according to a new report from Salesforce titled “Innovation: All Eyes on Asia.”
Companies in India (93%), Singapore (88%), Philippines (88%) and Malaysia (82%) are most likely to invest in technology to boost customer retention. Technology is viewed as a valuable tool in accelerating productivity (62%) and providing better customer support (38%).
These findings underscore a focus on customer centricity that is driving the trajectory to innovation in Asia.
Top innovation priorities
Enterprise Apps (83%), Cloud Computing (82%) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) are the top three strategic investment priorities for Asian businesses. Additionally, when presented with capabilities of a CRM platform powered by artificial intelligence (A.I.), 78% say they are likely to adopt.
Singapore businesses find the concept appealing (84%) and relevant (76%) but only 68% are likely to adopt. India (90%), Indonesia (83%), Vietnam (85%), Philippines (84%) and Thailand (84%) are most likely to adopt (90%) while Hong Kong is least likely to (63%).
Culture Multiplies Innovation
The positive impact of a culture that empowers employees to be innovative is evident in the 77% who agree that innovation has transformed their company operations favourably, with 80% of this group prioritizing innovation within their organization in the next 12 to 24 months. This group of Asian companies are more likely to invest in technology regardless of economic outlook and 79% said they will increase their technology spend even in an underperforming economy where 84% of them view technology as a long term revenue driver.
Knowledge gap hindering pace of innovation
Costs, complexity of technology and lack of talent are the three key hurdles that are holding Asian companies back from adopting innovation. One in three Asian companies believe that future innovation will be driven by public-private partnerships.
“This research shines a spotlight on the innovation landscape in Asia and reaffirms our vision for customer-centricity. The mobile-first culture of immediacy has its roots here in Asia and shapes the new business imperative for Asian companies,” said Robert Wickham, Regional Vice President, Innovation & Digital Transformation, APAC, Salesforce. “The appetite for artificial intelligence by Asian companies is continuing to grow. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us, and companies that harness the predictive prowess of A.I. are well-placed to address challenges in this dynamic region.”