We’re back with another segment of the Google 2022 Search Report. So far, we have analyzed the search trends in the Philippines, India, Hong Kong, and Australia & New Zealand. In our today’s blog, let’s see how the search trends have picked up in Malaysia in 2022.
Google’s annual Year in Search report consolidates some of the latest consumer trends in APAC, which can help brands gauge what to expect from their existing and potential customers in the current year. The report consists of findings from 12 APAC markets, including Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Australia & New Zealand.
Here are the major findings of the Year in Search report for the Malaysian market.
1. Cultural Identity
In contrast to cultural search trends from other APAC countries like India, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Australia & New Zealand where search trends mostly signaled a cultural mix, Malaysians seemed to focus a lot more on their own traditions.
This was apparent from a high increase of over 90% in search interest for terms containing “local food”. Similarly, search interest for terms containing “kuda kepang”, which is an indigenous Malaysian dance, rose by more than 30% in Malaysia.
2. Personal Identity
While the 2022 search trends indicate the pride that Malaysians take in their culture, there has also been a desire to stand out from the rest and a focus on one’s individuality. This is clearly indicated in the more than 90% rise in search interest on how to be different.
Also, the heightened sense of one’s overall persona in Malaysians could be seen in the 20% increase in search interest around “unisex”. Moreover, this was also reflected in how they dress with a massive increase of more than 130% in search interest around terms containing “dinner dress”.
3. Self Care
The past year saw Southeast Asians focusing a lot more on different forms of self-care. While 23% of people in Southeast Asia say they plan to spend more on self-improvement, including wellness, health and fitness, and education, Malaysians are way above that average mark.
This was well-reflected in search interest around mental health, which grew by more than 50% in 2022. Also, Malaysians were increasingly looking for ways to handle stress, and the search interest around the same rose by more than 100%.
4. Professional Identity
With the COVID-19 pandemic taking a significant toll on people’s work-life balance due to the difficulties that people faced in managing their personal and professional lives while working from their homes, the search for work-life balance today is greater than ever. The situation is no different in Malaysia as people continued looking for terms containing work-life balance with the search interest around it growing by 30%.
Also, the pandemic seems to have disillusioned most Malaysians of their regular 9-5 jobs, who are probably now seeking to have their own businesses. This is evident from the 50% boost in search interest around terms containing “entrepreneurship”.
Also, like most of their peers from other APAC countries like Hong Kong and India, Malaysians are also exploring the value that they bring to the table and the appraisal in remuneration that it might help them with. Thus, the search interest around terms containing “negotiate salary” saw a huge increase of 140% in Malaysia.
5. Value Hunting
Similar to other APAC countries like Hong Kong, the Philippines, and India, Malaysians have also become more conscious of the things that they spend their money on, and seem to be looking for things that can deliver the maximum value for their money.
Thus, it is no surprise that the search interest around terms containing “which one” and “best deal” has grown significantly by 40% and 60%.
Bottom Line
The search trends shared in this blog will help marketers unlock consumer trends in Malaysia, and find business growth through Search and marketing innovations. However, to leverage these, they need to be able to figure out what makes different markets across the APAC region different from each other as most of the trends discussed in these reports are similar in most countries although in varying degrees.
We’ll soon be back with highlights from search trends in other APAC markets too.
To delve deeper into the findings of the Malaysian Year in Search report, download the full report by clicking here.
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