The region’s event participants in the survey were confident in future plans, but maintaining customer loyalty remained their leading concern.
Based on a survey of 288 attendees (on their customer engagement strategies) during a retail industry event^ held in the Asia Pacific region in June 2025, a customer engagement firm (an event exhibitor) that conducted the survey has disclosed some findings from the data.
First, four in five respondents had indicated confidence in their ability to execute customer engagement strategies over the next year, despite ongoing economic uncertainty. Among those respondents, 28% had pointed to loyalty and re-engagement as areas of untapped potential, with other key opportunities reported as product discovery (24%) and post-sale care (18%).
Second, customer loyalty was the most frequently cited challenge, with 27% of respondents identifying it as a key hurdle over issues such as price-related dissatisfaction (23%) and communications regarding pricing or product availability (21%).
Other findings
Third, a significant share of retailers in the survey had reported investment in specific tools: 25% in personalized offers and loyalty programs, 27% in conversational AI, and 22% in increased human agent support.
Also, 43% of survey respondents had indicated that they saw both opportunities and economic headwinds ahead in the market, emphasizing product discovery and post-sale care as ongoing focus areas for enhancing the customer journey.
According to Nicholas Kontopoulos, Vice President, Marketing (Asia Pacific & Japan), Twilio, the firm that conducted the survey: “Customer loyalty is under pressure. Building resilience means responding to customers with empathy, relevance, and precision. And that begins with a data-driven, customer-first approach.”
^The National Retail Federation’s 2025 Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific event in Singapore had attracted 9,500 registrations from 72 countries
*including respondents from a range of roles and markets across the Asia Pacific region. All findings reflect stated opinions and self-assessed behavioral trends at the time of data collection and should not be interpreted as objective fact or guaranteed future trends.
