Bienvenidos Niles, regional president of market research company ACNielsen Asia- Pacific, advised delegates to be sceptical about claims that "one size will not fit all" for marketing in Asia.
"Our hypothesis is that countries are not as dissimilar as one thinks," he said. "Ignoring similiarities among Asian consumers entirely may imply lost opportunites at harmonising and systematising marketing approaches."
The way consumers in Asia react to ads is changing, Niles said, pointing to a greater acceptance in India of international advertisments and themes which have been dubbed into Hindi.
"Consumers have become more global in their tastes and wants," he said.
"At the same time, they have muddled and uncertain preferences - they may be fickle about what they are really after - in one moment it could be price, in another, convenience."
Increased choice can lead to information overload, leaving consumers confused, he added. Asian shoppers tend to be promiscuous with both brands and outlets, with the exception of South Asians, who are more store-loyal, and consumers in India and Vietnam, who have a greater affinity with favoured brands, Niles said.
"By and large, the lure of promotions is evident among Asians, regardless of how economically-developed a country is. In most markets, we see at least 30 per cent of shoppers who we would define as 'promotion-driven'."
In an environment of low loyalty, distribution is key in building relationships with consumers, Niles stressed, adding that the drivers of patronage of stores - awarereness, consideration and location - are universal.
Niles also observed that grocery shoppers across Asia remain predominantly female, although marketers shouldn't ignore the say men have in household purchases, which is increasing across the region."These trends indicate a growing similarity in consumers across different countries in as far as receptiveness to promotions and certain advertising themes are concerned," he said.
Nielsen clustered 13 countries in Asia into three categories: titans, emerging titans and fledgling territories. "The presence of these clusters provides the opportunity to create unified marketing strategies," Niles said.
The conference, which attracted 800 delegates, will be held in Hong Kong next year.