70% of Singaporeans are shopaholics

Shopping becomes a national pastime with 80% of Singaporeans unable to resist a good bargain.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll conducted online by Harris Interactive among 9,222 adults in Singapore, Hong Kong, China and India, the U.S and Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

Shopaholics or just love shopping?
o Almost 70 per cent of Singaporeans admitted to either liking or loving shopping. Only 1 per cent of Singaporeans don’t like shopping
o Almost 60 per cent of Singaporeans admitted to purchasing an item of clothing within the last four weeks.

Singaporeans are some of the least brand conscious consumers in Asia
o 64 per cent of Singaporeans said that brands weren’t that important to them. Only 36 per cent of Singaporeans said brands were important to them – this compared to 72 per cent and 74 per cent in China and India respectively.
o Singaporeans are least bothered about brands when purchasing lingerie and casual wear.
o However, they are most concerned about brands when purchasing cosmetics/ fragrances and watches.

Singaporeans can’t resist a bargain
o 20 per cent of Singaporeans made their last purchase because it was on sale. This figure was the highest in the world.
o Almost 80 per cent of Singaporeans said that they love to get bargains, as long as the clothes are trendy. Another highest in the world figure.

There has been much written about the increased spending power of Asian consumers, in addition to their penchant for fashion and brand names, many of which have launched or expanded in Asian markets over the last decade. Now there is evidence that not only are people in India and China more brand-conscious than their counterparts in Europe and the U.S. – they also are quite open in their passion for brand names in the context of fashion.

In fact, almost three-quarters of adults in China (72%) and in India (74%) admit that brand names are important to them when purchasing clothing and accessories, compared to just one-quarter in the U.S. (26%), Great Britain (24%), and even in the country known as the world’s fashion haven – Italy (28%)!

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll conducted online by Harris Interactive among 9,222 adults in Singapore, Hong Kong, China and India, the U.S and Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

Trendy vs. Classic
There are indications that in certain markets purchasing classics is more important than being trendy. 74% of Americans tend to purchase classics versus trends; a practice which is shared among adults in China (71%), India (70%), France (60%), the UK (58%), Germany and Italy (57% each).

However, in China and India, 63% indicated that they “like to be the first out of their friends to have the latest trend” whereas a quarter or fewer in all the other countries agreed (9% to 24%).

In most of the markets studied there is a strong belief that good brand names translate to quality products; 9 in 10 adults in India (89%) and China (92%) believe that brand names provide better value due to quality, a thought shared by majorities in Singapore (75%), the U.S. (65%), Italy (63%), and France (53%) as well. However, in Spain (41%), Great Britain (48%) and Germany (47%), fewer than half think this is the case.

In Singapore (77%), India (72%), Great Britain (68%), the U.S. (66%), Spain (65%) Italy (64%) and Germany (63%) there is also a fondness for bargains, even if they are not brand names ‘as long as it is trendy’. In Singapore, where shopping is a national pastime, and on the heels of the Great Singapore Sale – 41% reported the main reason for their last purchase as ‘I was just browsing and it caught my eye’. One in five adults in Singapore said they made their most recent purchase because “it was on sale and I just couldn’t resist a bargain.”