MANILA, Philippines — We are off to a new decade, which brings with it exciting new opportunities, along with fresh challenges in keeping up with the evolving consumer. Banking on this, the Omnicom Media Group-owned Wmedia firm, OMD Worldwide, in partnership with The Future Foundation, has unveiled key consumer trends for 2011 in a report entitled, “11 for 2011.”

Trend 1: Cautious Optimism

Even in countries that suffered only moderate macroeconomic disruption, price-promiscuity remains strong as we enter the new decade. Consumers everywhere in the region have become dramatically sensitized to the concept of price and are looking for value in the products they buy. Majority of the Asian population will be on a wait-and-see mode before spending their hard earned money; rationalized spending (need vs. want) will still persist in 2011.

Trend 2: The Search for Personal Control

Especially in Asian countries that experienced financial hurts, consumers are only beginning to gain control over their personal finances. The banking industry has responded to this by providing “Personalized Financial Planning,” which offers customized financial options based on the need of the customer.

There is also an increasing conscious effort and focus in controlling how Asians spend their spare time. In the Philippines, with its increasing urbanization, as well as the increasing manpower and time demand of BPOs, this has brought about a “Work-Life Balance” hungry workforce.

Trend 3: We are Family

Families in Asian countries are becoming more connected than ever. We are noting parents maintaining a longer and increasing amount of influence and support within their children’s lives. Looking at it from a financial perspective, young adults will increasingly draw upon parental and familial support.

It is important to note that the “value” of family is particularly highlighted in times of economic downturns.

Trend 4: Game On

As we progress into 2011, playtime will become more important in people’s lives. Electronic gaming has become the world’s most valuable entertainment industry in terms of revenue. Significant proportions claim to play video games at least once a week, and “social gaming” via social networking profiles place games at the heart of online social interaction.

“Gaming on the go” has become a widespread activity, enabling consumers to fill moments of unproductive downtime with constant stimulation.

Trend 5: Deal Mania

The Internet has powered the possibilities of communities to create sites to swap and share products and services. Aside from coping through bargain hunting, part of the effects of the economic downturn is the increasing popularity of group swapping in Asia.

Collective purchasing and group discounts are facilitating “Team Buy,” a phenomenon that originated in China and has slowly spread throughout the globe due to the novelty and nobility of the idea. Social Buying has gradually reached the shores of the Philippines as well.

Trend 6: Realistic Green

In 2011, companies have a clear opportunity to give consumers the green light for green consumption by creating offers that do not interrupt everyday life, that can in some way deliver (either in the short or long-term) money-saving benefits, and that can provide consumers with immediate feedback of their own eco-friendlier actions.

Fifty to 60 percent of consumers in countries with lower per capita income like the Philippines are saying that price is still more important than how green a product is, and it is their belief that going green is more of a corporate responsibility than theirs.

Trend 7: Concierge Brands

The availability of concierge services was once entirely confined to the gilded world of the affluent elite, celebrities and only the most senior of corporate executives. But enhanced service offerings are now burgeoning in the mainstream landscape, becoming one more weapon in brands’ arsenal to satisfy the demands of the exacting, maximizing and budgeting consumer in 2011 and beyond.

Trend 8: More and More Mobile

What will characterize Internet usage in 2011 and beyond? We identified two key drivers: the further embedding of social networking into the fabric of the Internet and the continuing flight of Internet activities to mobile devices. Though still a niche trend globally, 2011 will witness more Internet usage migrating onto mobile devices, especially with the latest generation of smart phones and tablet devices that allow people to carry out virtually any kind of activity wherever they are.

Trend 9: Lure of the Shop Floor

Faced with increasingly competitive home shopping networks, cheaper Internet shopping and a global economy threatening to remain uncertain in many areas into the decade, the bricks-and-mortar retail world has come under sustained pressure to offer engaging and attractive offers.

In 2011, we expect retailers to evolve retail locations into havens of technological interactivity and experiential treats. We will be presented with a radically altered retail future, where shopping locales become genuinely alluring leisure destinations, complete with unique in-store activity and, crucially, seamless connectivity with the technologies and networks consumers can readily access.

Trend 10: Pragmatic Luxury

Consumers demand luxury, but luxury is no longer purely about satisfying status needs but increasingly about individual expression. And that demand for luxury is tempered by pragmatism. The world does not revolve around brands anymore, particularly among younger Filipino consumers.

They have learned to incorporate cheaper pieces together with the expensive. Pragmatism and the search for a good deal is no longer limited to the masses, but increasingly among the middle class as well.

Trend 11: The Search for Lost Time

The commodity that we seem to always run short of is the most precious: Time. The increasing pace of life is catching up in APAC, as well as the Philippines.

There is always the feeling of needing more time to do what we consider as important, i.e. more time for family and self. In light of this situation, people are more than ever looking for solutions with increased convenience that can help them spend time doing the things that really matter.