What four Indonesian studies show about AI, trust and the path to purchase Most talk about AI starts with adoption. How many people use it? Which platforms are growing? How fast should brands move? For marketers, there is a more useful question. Which part of the decision are consumers willing to give to AI? We looked across four RB Consulting studies from 2026. They cover very different people: shoppers in Greater Jakarta, vehicle buyers, first-time Gen Z mothers, and vocati

Picture a 28-year-old walking the floor of a vehicle exhibition. On his phone, an AI chatbot has already compared three cars for him — price, fuel use, features. He may know the specs better than the sales staff. But before he signs anything, he calls his older brother. That is the pattern we found when we asked more than 1,400 automotive-engaged consumers how AI fits into buying a car or a motorcycle. We surveyed them at vehicle exhibitions in 2026. Every question was about

Picture a 28-year-old woman in Malang. Her skin has been breaking out, so she asks an AI chatbot which serum suits oily, acne-prone skin. In seconds she gets an answer: two ingredients to look for, three products to try. She does not buy any of them. Not yet. She opens a marketplace and starts reading reviews. Now imagine that evening she asks the same AI what snack to bring to the office tomorrow. Would she check reviews again? Or would she just buy the first brand it names?

The typical picture of an ageing Indonesian? Inactive. No spending power. Just sitting at home, watching TV. Waiting. This picture is wrong. I have been studying this segment for several years. Two studies — a larger one in 2023 (200 seniors aged 55–75) and a more recent one in 2026 (44 seniors aged 60+ and 45 adult children) — point in the same direction. The senior market in urban Indonesia is more active, more motivated, and more misunderstood than most people assum

When we asked 5,027 SMK students what they would upgrade first if their income doubled, food came last. Gadgets came fourth. Clothing came second. Personal care came third — ahead of gadgets and food, behind only saving and clothing. For a category often treated as low-priority in youth marketing, that ranking deserves attention. Among female students, it ranks second. Above clothing. Above gadgets. Above everything except saving. Among males, it barely registers. The Numbers

Ask an SMK student in Indonesia what they would spend on if money were only enough for one thing. More than half give the same answer: food and drinks. Now ask what they would upgrade first if their income doubled. Only 2 in 100 say F&B. That is the F&B paradox. The category is essential — not aspirational. Those two things are not the same, and brands that treat them as the same are building the wrong strategy. What the Data Shows The IYG Study 2026 surveyed 5,027 SMK studen

A new study conducted by RB Consulting and Snapcart in March 2024 has shed light on the environmental consciousness of young Indonesians...