How Asia’s Brands Optimize ROI with Connected Journeys
Asia’s brands are racing to connect every touchpoint into one seamless customer journey. The goal is simple: make it easy for people to move from ad to action, and do it in real time.
Asia’s brands are racing to connect every touchpoint into one seamless customer journey. The goal is simple: make it easy for people to move from ad to action, and do it in real time.
The money is already moving. The Asia Pacific digital advertising market hit US$151.7 billion in 2024 and is on track for US$392.8 billion by 2030 at 17% growth. That scale raises a clear CEO question: how do we turn spend into ROI across multiple platforms?
The latest data points to one answer: build connected journeys that cut across TV, mobile, social, stores, and messaging. The opportunity is big, and so is the execution gap.
The ROI signal is clear
Across multiple platforms, customers buy more often and spend more. McKinsey reports that people who shop across channels purchase 1.7 times more than single-channel users. Brands that use real-time data to adjust messages see a 41% lift in engagement, a strong leading indicator for revenue.
APAC is mobile first and social first. Eight in ten consumers in the region say social media ads most influence what they buy, well above North America. Traditional media still matters, though. TV continues to drive recall across many APAC markets while online video gains ground. The best results come when brands plan TV and digital together so the journey runs from awareness to action.
Messaging is becoming the new front door. In June 2025, WhatsApp was downloaded more than 57 million times globally. Research shows 74% of online adults prefer to talk to businesses the way they talk to friends. In India and Indonesia, WhatsApp is often the primary channel. In the US and Canada, it works best for order updates and service messages. Many platforms now make WhatsApp part of the customer journey by default, enabling fast, personalized messages inside the same workflow that powers email, push, and ads.
APAC shoppers also mix channels by habit. Many research and shop both in stores and online, and a significant share now buy online but pick up in-store as part of their routine since the pandemic. Younger buyers do not think in channel silos at all. They expect one brand experience regardless of touchpoint.
APAC leads in maturity, but execution gaps remain
APAC brands score highest globally on technical maturity at 58%, ahead of the US, LATAM, and EMEA. Budgets reflect confidence. 86% say they beat revenue goals in the past year, and nearly three in four expect bigger marketing budgets next year. 99% report using AI, with most saying it frees time for creative work.
Yet only 16% say they have a fully connected model across platforms today, while 35% run multiple channels with weak links between them. Only 9% describe their digital experience as exceptional. Data fragmentation is the main brake, with 88% saying siloed data blocks real-time personalization, and privacy and security cited as the top obstacle by 43% of leaders. Competing priorities top the challenge list for 33% of CX leaders, with building a customer-first culture close behind at 31%.
The market is moving fast. The customer journey orchestration market is forecast to grow from US$12.27 billion in 2024 to US$64.54 billion by 2032 at 23.41% growth, with APAC expanding the fastest at 24.87%. The customer journey analytics market is also growing quickly, with APAC projected to lead. AI is accelerating this shift, turning descriptive data into predictive actions and delivering far more personalized campaigns than rule-based systems.
Connected journeys, real outcomes
Several Asian brands show what good looks like. Singapore Airlines built a connected service model that includes Kris, a Google-based chatbot on Facebook Messenger and its website. Kris handles more than 85,000 queries each week. As Marvin Tan, senior VP of customer services and operations, said, “Our customers come from all walks of life. Our customer contact service operations must be geared up to serve all their needs. These types of services and functionalities are only possible if we have the right technology platform.”
JD Health linked online and offline care during COVID-19, tying telemedicine, prescriptions, and delivery across more than 200 cities. Its Internet hospital includes over 65,000 physicians. CEO Lijun Xin put it simply, “Internet + Healthcare is reshaping the industry and provides us immense opportunities to work with our partners so as to construct a win-win healthcare ecosystem.”
Indonesia’s Blibli used data-driven engagement for its anniversary push and saw a 43% rise in repeat purchases. One fashion retailer connected in-store sensors with social data and lifted conversions by 28%. Telekom Malaysia rebuilt its customer experience across retail, contact centers, and field teams to raise satisfaction and efficiency. In Indonesia, Pepsodent used AI to offer free dental scans and connect people with dentists, turning data into community support.
What CEOs should do in the next 90 days
- Pick three high-impact journeys to connect end to end, for example, new customer onboarding, abandoned cart to store visit, or service to upsell.
- Fix the data spine first. Align IDs, permissions, and security across teams to reduce fragmentation and respect privacy.
- Treat messaging as a core channel. In markets like India and Indonesia, design flows where WhatsApp is the primary touchpoint.
- Plan TV and digital video together. Use TV for reach, social and search for intent, and messaging for conversion.
- Fund real-time decisions. Teams that act on live signals see stronger engagement and can pivot fast when markets shift.
- Build a cross-functional squad with clear 100-day goals. Align marketing, product, data, and finance to the same KPIs.
APAC consumers are already connected. The tech is ready and growing fast. Budgets are rising, yet the window to turn maturity into market share will not stay open forever. For CFOs and COOs, the path to ROI is to connect the journey, not just the channels.
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