GMO Research, Inc. is one of the largest online panel providers in Japan. Specialty panels include B2B, Automobile, Affluent, Medical, and Kids. Other services include Mobile picture surveys, Home Use Test, Panel construction support, and Online research consulting. Programming, Data collection, coding, and translation services are also available. Our bilingual staff ensures international clients can conduct successful research in Japan.

GMO Research, Inc.

Japan

GMO is one of the largest online panel providers in Japan with 470,000 proprietary panelists. Specialty panels range from Business to Medical.

<p>Esports, or electronic sports, refers to the competitive world of video gaming, which often takes the form of organised tournaments featuring professional gamers and large audiences. During the COVID-19 outbreak, many sports fans have missed live sporting action, and esports has presented an attractive alternative to traditional live sports. As a result, esports has thrived during the pandemic. The global esports and game-streaming industry is expected to grow from <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210307005021/en/Juniper-Research-eSports-Games-Streaming-to-be-Worth-3.6-Billion-Globally-by-2025-as-Sponsorship-Drives-Future-Growth">US$2.1 billion in 2021 to US$3.5 billion by 2025</a>, representing a growth of 70% in four years, and much of this phenomenal growth is expected to take place in Asia.</p>
<p>Asia is expected to account for <a href="https://www.asiafundmanagers.com/int/esports-in-asia-investment-possibilities/">50%</a> of more than 1 billion esports and game viewers by 2025. It is no wonder, then, that esports is fast approaching mainstream adoption in the region: In fact, it featured at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games as a medal event. In 2022, esports is also expected to be included as a medal event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Meanwhile, esports arenas are rapidly popping up across Asia, with capacities in the tens of thousands.</p>
<div id="attachment_30083" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30083" decoding="async" class="wp-image-30083 size-large" src="https://greenbook.org/mr/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Online-Gaming-Figure1_new2-1024x853.png" alt="adoption rate" width="1024" height="853" /><p id="caption-attachment-30083" class="wp-caption-text">Image: GMO Research, Inc.</p></div>
<p>In light of this rapid growth, GMO Research has conducted a survey on gaming and esports to take the pulse of consumer insights and behavioural trends in Asia. The survey was conducted across six countries in the region: China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. This article brings you the consumer preferences and spending trends with regard to esports in the region.</p>

        <div class="post-related-post">
            <h3>Related</h3>
            <h4><a href="https://www.greenbook.org/insights/insights/covid-19-making-esports-mainstream">COVID-19: Making Esports Mainstream</a></h4>
        </div>
    
<p>Among the countries surveyed, esports proved to be most popular in Vietnam, with up to 75% of respondents having had experience with esports, meaning they had either watched or participated in an esports event, or both. Vietnam is followed by China, with 64.4% having had an experience with esports. Next is Thailand at 60.9%, and fourth is the Philippines at 57.8%. Malaysia and Taiwan are the only countries where fewer than half of the respondents reported having had an experience with esports, at 43% and 38.7% respectively.</p>
<p>With the exception of China, a few platforms emerged as popular choices across Asia for viewing and/or participating in esports. These platforms include YouTube Gaming, Facebook Gaming, Twitch, and Garena Live. When gamers were asked which platforms they use for viewing or participating in esports, YouTube Gaming emerged as the most popular, coming out top in Vietnam (58%), Thailand (56.9%), Taiwan (53.3%), and Malaysia (52.1%). The next most popular is Facebook Gaming: This is the number one gaming platform in the Philippines, with 63.8% of gamers using Facebook Gaming for viewing or participating in esports. Twitch is another platform of choice, coming in second in Taiwan at 25.4%, and third in the Philippines at 19.6%. Garena Live is popular in Thailand and Vietnam (the third most popular in both), with 18.6% and 19.5% of gamers using the platform respectively.</p>
<div id="attachment_30082" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30082" decoding="async" class="wp-image-30082 size-large" src="https://greenbook.org/mr/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Online-Gaming-Figure2_new2-1024x875.png" alt="popular platforms" width="1024" height="875"   /><p id="caption-attachment-30082" class="wp-caption-text">Image: GMO Research, Inc.</p></div>
<p>The game-streaming industry in China has taken on a life of its own and is now significantly bigger than that of the US when it comes to users and innovation. With the largest gaming population in the world, it is no wonder that the rise of esports in China has contributed to a boom in the video game streaming industry. So who are the top players when it comes to esports platforms in China? According to the GMO survey, the most popular esports platform in China is Douyu TV, with 52.6% of gamers using the platform for viewing or participating in esports. Coming in a close second is Huya at 51.3%, and third is NetEase at 26.4%. As the biggest players, Douyu and Huya dominate the <a href="https://technode.com/2019/09/23/the-rise-of-video-game-livestreaming-in-china/">market share</a> with their brand presence and large capital base, thus ensuring that they have the best streamers on board and the clout to organise large-scale esports events.</p>
<p>According to the GMO survey, in the past two years, consumer spending in esports has generally increased in terms of both streamer donations and channel subscriptions. The largest increases can be seen in Malaysia (17.1%), the Philippines (9.9%), and Vietnam (9.4%).</p>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the meteoric growth of esports in Asia. Bolstered by increasing smartphone proliferation, more sophisticated IT infrastructure, and an expanding middle-class population, the industry will continue to thrive, especially in emerging markets. It is estimated that this year, gamers will make up 30% of the world’s population, bringing games market income to <a href="https://www.sportspromedia.com/interviews/sportfive-adrian-staiti-esports-asia-sponsorship-agencies-t1-lol">US$189.3 billion</a>, with China and Southeast Asia driving much of the revenue growth.</p>


Asia Leads the Way in Esports Growth

<p>Asia has seen rapid growth over the years when it comes to its healthcare industry. Several Asian countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and Taiwan, are known to be home to medically advanced institutions and have drawn patients from around the world through their position as medical tourism hubs.</p>
<p>The rapid growth of the healthcare industry in Asia is largely due to the emergence of healthtech, which is the use of technology to advance the practice of medicine. Healthtech, which constitutes technological advancements such as medical wearables, centralised databases, medical applications, artificial intelligence (AI), and mobile advancements, among others, is a constantly growing and evolving industry.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.graphicalresearch.com/industry-insights/1164/asia-pacific-digital-health-market#:~:text=Asia%20Pacific%20Digital%20Health%20Market%20size%20was%20valued%20at%20USD,34.2%25%20CAGR%20up%20to%202025.">digital healthcare industry</a> in Asia Pacific is predicted to be one of the fastest-growing in the world, and it is estimated that by the year 2025 it will be valued at US$80.7 billion. The bulk of this projection is attributed to the aging population in the Asian region, who will significantly benefit from the advancement of digital healthcare as it offers them convenience and ease in seeking assistance from medical professionals.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Wearable medical devices</h2>
<p>Today, we are already seeing many patients in Asia with pre-existing conditions, especially the elderly, being equipped with wearable medical devices. For example, patients diagnosed with diabetes are fitted with continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), small, wearable devices that allow for the constant monitoring of a patient’s blood sugar levels. This information can be easily transmitted to one’s smartphone or smartwatch and shared with medical professionals or the patient’s carer.</p>
<p>It is understood that medical wearable devices, which are fitted with microchips and sensors, will reach <a href="https://www.reportlinker.com/p03180729/Global-Wearable-Electronics-Industry.html">US$61.4 billion</a> globally in the next five years. It is expected that Asia Pacific will account for approximately <a href="https://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-wearable-medical-devices-market">US$3.2 billion</a> of the market share, which will be significantly contributed to China, India, and Japan. While the figure appears small, the CAGR is indicative of a 25.52% growth from 2020, reflecting significant growth in the Asian market. Globally, a 10-year forecast (2018–2027) of the industry’s growth shows a CAGR of <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-wearable-medical-devices-market-is-expected-to-grow-at-a-cagr-of-13-8-during-the-forecast-period-owing-to-the-emergence-of-iot-coupled-with-advancements-in-wearable-technology-says-absolute-markets-insights-301024606.html">13.8%</a>, with North America being a major contributor to the growth of this industry.</p>
<p>However, these figures are predicted to see further growth, especially since the digital healthcare industry within the Asia Pacific region, in both developed and developing countries, has seen exponential growth due to the prevalence of COVID-19.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Telemedicine</h2>
<p>Many Asian countries have also deployed telemedicine as a way to mitigate the spread of the pandemic. Mobile applications, such as Dr. World, Doctor Anywhere, Halodoc, and others, have made waves across the region as they have allowed people to receive assistance from doctors via video calls. However, this is not a recent phenomenon as telemedicine has gained traction in the past few years, and COVID-19 has further developed its growth.</p>
<p>Back in 2018, it was reported that <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-trends/Telehealth-apps-rise-in-Southeast-Asia-due-to-doctor-scarcity">Halodoc</a>, a telemedicine application from Indonesia, was receiving “several thousand consultations a day” and had 2 million users. Today, in the face of the pandemic, they have more than 7.2 million users, with a 300% increase in their mobile application downloads. Similarly, another telemedicine application, Alodoktor, reported an increase of 50% in its users.</p>
<p>To ease the bottleneck that its virtual doors were facing due to the pandemic and the Indonesian government’s urging for its citizens to avoid going to hospitals unless it is an emergency, the team at Halodoc created a dedicated COVID-19 section, which featured the use of an <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-covid-19-telemedicine-halodoc-alodokter-demand-rises-12829088">AI chatbot</a> to assist patients who were worried about COVID-19. The use of this technology allowed Indonesians to receive the information they needed instantly, without having to wait for a doctor to attend to them, thus freeing up doctors to deal with more important cases.</p>
<p>The prevalence of telemedicine is not just limited to Indonesia or its neighbouring countries but is also happening across Asia in developing countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and others. Some of these countries may be new to the concept, such as Vietnam, but they have seen a significantly positive reception from their people, signifying the potential of this generally untapped industry.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Artificial intelligence</h2>
<p>When it comes to the use of AI, this technology is not just limited to chatbots or mobile applications. In fact, in the Philippines, AI has been utilised in the development of a <a href="https://mb.com.ph/2020/08/13/filipino-invented-healthcare-robot-rovidoc-now-on-duty-at-bulacan-quarantine-facility/">Robot Roving Doctor (Rovidoc)</a> in place of a doctor, as the country has tried to minimise COVID-19 exposure for its doctors.</p>
<p>Interestingly, in Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the virus, the government launched a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/18/how-china-is-using-robots-and-telemedicine-to-combat-the-coronavirus.html">hospital that was operated by robots</a> and utilised internet of thing (IoT) devices. Deploying AI, patients wore wearable medical devices that reported their temperature and vital stats, and these were monitored by robots that alerting the human medical team if anyone needed immediate medical attention. Disinfecting, medicine dispensing, food services, and even information services were all provided by the robots, thus limiting any unnecessary human exposure to the virus.</p>
<p>The success of this field hospital in China, as well as the Rovidoc in the Philippines, is indicative of things to come across Asia as technology develops. As it is, we are already seeing the use of AI in surgeries, and in aiding doctors to make medical diagnoses quicker and more efficiently. With the presence of 5G technology and IoT, the intricacies surrounding the use of AI in the healthtech industry will become further refined and more widespread.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Healthtech is the future of medicine</h2>
<p>Moving forward, Asia will witness phenomenal growth and transformation in its healthcare industry as technological advancements pave the way for the growing healthtech industry. The reception of these upcoming changes will have been unintentionally tested during the pandemic, which has seen many, young and old, embrace and adapt to the changes in the healthcare industry.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>About GMO Research</h2>
<p><a href="https://gmo-research.com/">GMO Research</a> offers an online research solution platform that allows access to multi-panel and multi-country online panel network – Asia Cloud Panel. Constantly expanding in Asia and globally, Asia Cloud Panel consists of over 33 million online consumer panelists across 15 APAC markets, ranging from consumers to CEOs. GMO Research is a part of and backed up by <a href="https://www.gmo.jp/en/company-profile/"><strong>GMO Internet Group</strong></a> – one of the largest Internet Conglomerates in Japan specializing in a number of Internet-related technologies. GMO Internet Group has the number one Japanese market share in Internet Security, Payment Processing, E-Commerce Solutions, Web Hosting, Domain, and FX Trading. And covers Web Infrastructure &amp; E-Commerce, Internet Media, Internet Securities, and Social Media and Smartphone platform.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Photo by Apple</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


HealthTech in Asia — Technological Advancements in Asia’s Healthcare Industry

<p>COVID-19 has brought about an unprecedented change across the world. As the world went into lockdown across continents, offices were forced to pull down their shutters and employees had to stay at home. Employers had to improvise quickly or risk losing their businesses. What was their next course of action? Remote working.</p>
<p>Now, let&rsquo;s be clear that remote working, or telecommuting, is not a new concept that emerged due to COVID-19. But it is for sure a concept that became the &lsquo;norm&rsquo; because of COVID-19. Before this pandemic, only a handful of companies across the world had chosen to hire telecommuting employees and it was a concept that was embraced more by the Western world, rather than in Asia.</p>
<p>Now fast forward to the present. According to a <a href="https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/with-coronavirus-in-mind-are-you-ready-for-remote-work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gartner</a> webinar snap poll, 91% of HR leaders across the Asia Pacific region who attended their webinar indicated that their companies had implemented working from home to keep workflow going through this pandemic. The pandemic had forced companies in Asia to begin experimenting with the idea of remote working, despite many businesses being completely unprepared for it.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>The Boom of Video Conferencing Applications</strong></h3>
<p>So what do you do when you need to work from home and stay in touch with your colleagues? Download <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-conferencing-apps-62-million-downloads-zoom-houseparty-hangouts-teams-2020-3?r=DE&amp;IR=T">video conferencing applications</a>, of course! In mid-March, as many countries across the world saw lockdowns being put in place, video conferencing applications saw an incredible 62 million downloads worldwide within a week. According to mobile data and analytics provider App Annie, this was a 90% spike in comparison to the same week in 2019.</p>
<p>Taking the lead was Zoom &ndash; an application which many across the world are now familiar with &ndash; which generated close to 131 million downloads in April. Other popular applications include Google Meet, Skype, WhatsApp, and Houseparty, the last being an application that is designed more for social purposes.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>Remote Working &ndash; Bane or Boon?</strong></h3>
<p>Ideally, the concept of working remotely may sound attractive for both employees and their employers. Employees can conveniently work from home while juggling their daily responsibilities at home. The daily commute to and from work can be eradicated, saving time and money. Working parents are able to spend more time with their children and nurture them while earning an income.</p>
<p>Employees aren&rsquo;t the only ones who would benefit from a work-from-home arrangement. From an employer&rsquo;s perspective, money can be saved by doing away with office rentals, expenses can be reduced significantly by hiring a qualified individual from another country who may be more affordable, without having to go through the hassle of applying for employment passes and immigration permits for the employee.</p>
<p>However, is remote working all that it is hyped up to be? Apparently not, it seems. The idea of telecommuting has brought about mixed feelings from employees who have been forced to work from home. In a poll done by <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/goodbye-office-work-from-home-future-covid-19-12758558">Forrester</a> on Singaporean employees in March, it reflected that 60% were in favour of telecommuting. This was just before the Government imposed a &lsquo;circuit breaker&rsquo; to curb the spread of the pandemic in April, resulting in businesses having to close their offices. Barely a month later, only 46% were in favour of working remotely, and 50% were looking forward to returning to their offices.</p>
<p>In Indonesia, it was reported by the <a href="https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/05/26/demand-for-office-space-expected-to-bounce-back-after-pandemic-jll.html">Jakarta Post</a> that employees are struggling with the remote working arrangements due to several factors, such as small apartment sizes, trying to juggle work and home life at the same time, and more importantly, poor internet connectivity and technological infrastructure. In a <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/04/which-countries-were-and-werent-ready-for-remote-work">Harvard Business Review</a> article, it was stated that research by Tufts University&rsquo;s Fletcher School indicated that Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and India scored very poorly for the robustness of their digital platforms and the resilience of their internet infrastructure to traffic surges, indicating that these countries were not ready to adopt telecommuting as a way of life as yet.</p>
<p>In fact, even a country like Singapore, which is considered by many to be technologically advanced, has not been spared &ndash; its technological infrastructure being compromised by high traffic surges, as two of its major internet providers have faced outages during the &lsquo;circuit breaker&rsquo; periods, resulting in frustration as employees were not able to get their work done from home, and employers faced delays and a lack of communication with their staff.</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cone&amp;menu_id=RkJtOThJSlBJNStOV1liM1JsKzdZUT09">Malaysia&rsquo;s Department of Statistics</a>, only 33.5% of businesses in the country were able to arrange for their employees to work remotely during its Movement Control Order (MCO), while 35.6% opted to provide fully paid leave to their employees &ndash; an arrangement that can only be sustained for a period of between one and six months, depending on the firm&rsquo;s financial position. Even then, for those <a href="https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/04/584802/work-home-revolution">working from home</a>, a big issue is internet stability, as patchy internet connections result in the inability to conduct meetings effectively and to complete work smoothly.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>Moving forward</strong></h3>
<p>Many experts have stated that the concept of remote working is here to stay, especially in the foreseeable future as social distancing &ndash; or better, physical distancing &ndash; becomes the norm. Technological giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, and the like are already embracing the concept and are allowing employees to work remotely. However, aside from the technological issues faced by people working from home, it is also worth noting that this style of operation has exacerbated mental issues for many, as the loneliness from a lack of social interaction, disruption in routines, and the struggle of juggling work and personal life come into play.</p>
<p>To overcome all the issues and bring forth the positive aspects of remote working, proper blueprints should be put in place by companies to ensure that remote working does not cause disruption but rather provides continuity for their employees. It is ideal for those in management positions to discuss with their teams how best to proceed from this pandemic going forward.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>About GMO Research</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://gmo-research.com/">GMO Research</a> offers an online research solution platform that allows access to multi APAC country online panel network &ndash; Asia Cloud Panel. Constantly expanding in Asia and globally, Asia Cloud Panel consists of over 34&nbsp;million online consumer panelists across 15&nbsp;APAC markets, ranging from consumers to CEOs. <a href="https://www.greenbook.org/marketing-research/GMO-Research-Adds-Three-Million-Panel-In-Malaysia-1001861">GMO Research</a> is a part of and backed up by <a href="https://www.gmo.jp/en/company-profile/"><strong>GMO Internet Group</strong></a> &ndash; one of the largest Internet Conglomerates in Japan specializing in a number of Internet-related technologies. GMO Internet group has the number one Japanese market share in Internet Security, Payment Processing, E-Commerce Solutions, Web Hosting, Domain, and FX Trading. And covers Web Infrastructure &amp; E-Commerce, Internet Media, Internet Securities, and Social Media and Smartphone platform.</p>
<p><a href="https://gmo-research.com/news-events/notice/free-access-myanmar-panel?utm_source=GB&amp;utm_medium=RemoteW_article&amp;utm_campaign=MyanmarFree">GMO Research is currently running a campaign</a> offering free access to its proprietary panel in Myanmar.</p>

Impact of COVID-19 On Remote Working – The Asian View

GMO is one of the largest online panel providers in Japan with 470,000
proprietary panelists. Specialty panels range from Business to Medical. Tokyo, Japan.