In the current age of communications, technology and innovations are also playing a huge role in growth.
“What matters now is a combination of emerging countries, emerging themes and emerging innovations,” Carter said.
For instance, Carter pointed to smartphones as a major industry disruptor that has shifted the way emerging consumers spend, notably through internet retailers or e-commerce purchases as internet access grows. He pointed out that smartphone shipments have overtaken both mobile phone and personal computer shipments, which reflects the huge demand for portable devices.
Meanwhile, internet infrastructure continues to grow, allowing emerging markets greater access to the global network. As of 2014, 31.0% of emerging market households had internet access, which suggest that through greater penetration, emerging consumers may continue to adopt more online purchases.
ETF investors interested in this growth opportunity can gain exposure to the targeted emerging market segment through the Emerging Markets Internet & Ecommerce ETF (NYSEArca: EMQQ), which focuses on internet names, notably those that cater toward online shopping or e-commerce.
EMQQ includes exposure to the growth of online consumption in the developing world. Specifically, the ETF includes large internet names like Alibaba Group Holdings 9.3%, Tencent Holdings 8.3%, Naspers TLD 7.2%, Naver Corp 6.3% and Baidu Inc. 6.2%. The fund also has diverse country exposure, including India, China, Brazil, Turkey, Nigeria and Indonesia.
Financial advisors who are interested in learning more about the emerging markets can watch the webcast here on demand.