A Third Eye View of Emerging Markets

India’s consumer patterns are shifting faster than ever, accelerated by a changing post-Covid mindset. To ensure these trends and cultural behaviours are fully understood, our team is heading back to India in December 2022 for an ethnographic research study. In this podcast Tassos Stassopoulos and Gita Ghate, Managing Director of ethnographic research firm Third Eye discuss the changing mindset of Indian consumers and possible areas for the study.

Ethnography helps to identify upcoming consumer trends, but also requires a lot of preparation to select the countries for research and frequency of visits. In this latest podcast Tassos discusses why desk top research tells you very little about the consumer is thinking, how his research has changed over the years and why immersion studies are as important than ever.

Which new habits will remain post COVID, how are consumers reacting to rising inflation and why have the pets come in from the cold? Tassos Stassopoulos shares the insights from his recent immersion trip to Brazil and discusses the wide-reaching impact of the digital banking revolution sweeping Latin America’s largest economy.

Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the world, our habits and behaviours. How do you distinguish between consumer trends which are set for the long-term and those which will evaporate once the pandemic recedes? Mike Ivatt and Tassos Stassopoulos discuss finding trends in an anxious and socially distanced world, using digital ethnography. 

Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the world, our habits and behaviours. How do you distinguish between consumer trends which are set for the long-term and those which will evaporate once the pandemic recedes? Mike Ivatt and Tassos Stassopoulos discuss finding trends in an anxious and socially distanced world, using digital ethnography.

It is often assumed that growth in Emerging Markets stems from the expanding youth population. On-the-ground insights, however, point to an overlooked longevity dividend, where people carry on working to an older age, even starting new businesses or careers, in order to continue making connections and contributing and earning the respect that was previously given by virtue of age alone. In this podcast Tassos Stassopoulos discusses on-the-ground insights, and what it means for EM investment, with Gita Ghate, founder of Third Eye, an Indian Ethnographic Research Firm.

The market volatility resulting from the coronavirus pandemic is unlike anything faced by investment managers in modern time. In this podcast Jonathan Ramsay of InvestSense and Tassos Stassopoulos discuss investing with a long term view during times of volatility, the art or contrarian stock picking and managing client money in these challenging times. The views expressed herein do not constitute research, investment advice or trade recommendations

Emerging Market are changing fast, but while some topics and challenges might be shared with the developed world, the solutions are often starkly different. In this podcast Mike Ivatt discusses with Tassos Stassopoulos the growing importance of environmental awareness in Emerging Markets, and why EMs might be better placed to find the answers to environmental challenges. They also discuss the trends to watch in the years ahead, and where the Trinetra team will be heading for their next Immersions research visits.

What can investors learn from ethnographic research to help in understanding the bigger picture in Emerging Markets? In this podcast Tassos Stassopoulos and Gita Ghate, Founder and CEO of Third Eye, talk about the importance of avoiding biases when listening to consumers, how Indian society is changing, and where Gita sees the next big trend in this fast-growing nation.

How can you spot emerging consumer trends before they show up in statistics? This podcast focuses on ethnography, the processes involved with finding the right people to build a holistic picture on future trends. To understand more about how these powerful, relevant insights are generated, Tassos Stassopoulos speaks to Gita Ghate, Third Eye’s founder, about her many years working with global consumer companies to understand trends in India.

Societies in Emerging Markets are changing, but many people assume that with modernisation comes westernisation. In this podcast Tassos Stassopoulos talks to Mike Ivatt about how the increasing ability for countries to produce their own content leads to the development of their own identities, staying connected to their values rather than following the same path as the West.

Big Data can give us faster and more detailed information about what is happening. But, especially in Emerging Markets, statistics and data often mislead or miss major trends as they struggle to keep up with fast-moving societies. In this podcast we discuss how analysing data and statistics might help you to understand what is happening, but not why something is happening.  It can even lead you to draw incorrect conclusions. We will explain how properly planned and conducted ethnographic research can lead to understanding why things are happening, and to spot upcoming trends before they show up in the statistics.

Emerging Markets are undergoing dramatic change at breath-taking speeds, impacting their societies, culture and the way they consume. In this podcast Tassos Stassopoulos discusses how brands with cultural or religious underpinning can connect with EM consumers through their values, leaving multinationals behind. We consider the impact that change has on people in Emerging Markets, and how fast change leads consumers to turn to simpler more natural products aligned with their values, albeit in a continually-changing world. Emerging markets are not simply following the same path to development that has already been trodden by the emerging markets.  Some multinationals have failed to grasp that consumers desire products and brands that reflect their values, a big distinction from the scientifically engineered products that make your clothes whiter, your dishes sparklier, and your shave closer.  Local culture, simplicity, integrity and authenticity resonate, and niche brands that can emotionally connect with consumers often do this more effectively. By understanding this cultural context, we believe that it is possible to see further and more accurately into the future than conventional, extrapolative analysis.  Data that most investors look at can explain what is happening.  But our Immersions research, taking time to understand and empathise with consumers in their own homes, takes us closer to understanding why things happen.  Understanding consumers’ values, and what matters to them, in turn shows us a path to solving their problems, and to the future. 

Women’s empowerment is one of the biggest themes across emerging markets today. Its impact will change people’s lives, and will affect consumer trends, and even societies. In this podcast, Tassos Stassopoulos explains how the trend is developing under the radar of national statistics and market data, which misses the silent revolution of female homepreneurs. Fintech is set to further boost women’s empowerment in emerging markets.