Middle Class Purchasing Power Set to Triple by 2030 World-wide due to Rapid Growth in Emerging Markets

PALM SPRINGS, Calif., Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --Many companies will need to change their strategic direction to capitalize on new demands from a fast-growing global middle class, particularly in the emerging markets. This will involve creating entirely new products and services if they are to truly innovate and grow. These are the main recommendations from a new Ernst & Young report, Innovating for the next three billion: The rise of the global middle class, based on a survey of 547 executives worldwide and in-depth interviews with some of world-leading entrepreneurs.

The survey highlights that the majority of companies from developed economies currently direct most of their energies and activities towards the premium end of the market in their main high-growth markets. Even among high-performing companies in these markets that proportion remains as high as 40%. The report argues that this focus on luxury goods will have to change.

With new middle-income customers expected to grow by three billion by 2030, representing a growth in demand from US$21 trillion to US$56 trillion, the report identifies the capabilities necessary to innovate: customer insight, people culture, research and development and operations and business model – combining local relevance with global scale.

Maria Pinelli, Global Vice-Chair Strategic Growth Markets for Ernst & Young explains: "There is a huge potential for middle class consumerism in rapid-growth economies, and this report demonstrates the scale of opportunity for companies that develop innovative products. Companies need to think about fundamentally changing the way they work in order to take advantage of these changing demographics."

Frugal innovation

The survey demonstrates that companies are at least beginning to innovate in these markets. More than three-quarters of the respondents think that adopting "frugal innovation" – or economical use of resource to provide products affordable by those on a lower income – is a major opportunity. And companies in the survey with higher-than-average earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) growth seem more likely to recognize the scale of the opportunity, with 81% of the high performers thinking frugal innovation is a major opportunity, compared with 68% of those with lower EBITDA growth.

Pinelli continues: "Companies – regardless of market – are currently missing a significant and increasingly important opportunity in developing economies and must bring products in line with the income distribution in rapid growth markets. This requires a fundamental re-thinking of innovation and go-to-market strategies.

"It's no coincidence that those companies leading the way with innovation in rapid-growth markets are headquartered in rapid-growth markets, where they have an advantage in generating 'frugal innovations', or those that can be sold to the emergent middle class. Companies in rapid-growth markets have long operated under an environment where there is a shortage of resources and poor infrastructure and these constraints have forced them to be highly creative and entrepreneurial."

The report identifies four capabilities needed for companies to "frugally" innovate for the next three billion consumers:

1. Customer insight – Successful innovation requires the companies to get close to their customers and understand the problem that needs to be solved.

2. People and culture – Companies need to adopt a culture and mindset that are willing to tailor products to customer's needs.

3. Research and development – A global network of R&D centers enables companies to leverage global resources and re-apply innovation across multiple markets.

4. Operations and business model: combining local relevance with global scale – Rapid product innovations are important, but equally as important is the need for companies to think about the business model and ensure that it is appropriate for a lower-income customer base.

"Innovating for the next three billion, then, is not just about formulating a rapid-growth market strategy, but also understanding the similarities across markets as well as the differences. Companies should draw on global resources and re-apply ideas and knowledge in other markets-whether rapid-growth or developed," concludes Herb Engert, Americas Strategic Growth Markets Leader for Ernst & Young LLP.

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SOURCE Ernst & Young