ShopBack eyes global expansion, taps gaming for growth

The US will be a key focus in the coming years.

ShopBack, the Singapore-based cashback platform operated by eCommerce Enablers Pte. Ltd., is entering its second decade with plans to go global, expanding its popular reward ecosystem into new markets and industries, including gaming.

“We started as a Singapore company. Then, we became a regional company. Now, I would say that we actually have global ambitions,” ShopBack co-founder Joel Leong told Singapore Business Review.

After establishing a strong presence across Asia, ShopBack entered Germany in 2023 and launched in the US this year, setting up operations in Austin, Texas.

“As we enter markets like Germany and the US, we want to establish our presence everywhere in line with our vision to be the world’s most rewarding way to shop,” Leong said via Zoom.

The US will be a “key focus” for the company in the coming years, he added, noting that ShopBack aims to double or even triple its growth there. “We’ll take the learnings that we have from Asia to the US,” he said.

To attract more users, ShopBack introduced ShopBack Play in the US, a feature that rewards players with cashback for completing in-game milestones in titles such as Monopoly Go!, Township, and Block Blast!.

Leong said the concept was inspired by everyday commuting habits in Singapore, where many people play games on their phones whilst traveling to and from work. “We worked with game companies so that when users play, they can also earn cashback — you don’t have to buy anything,” he said.

The feature was first piloted in Singapore before being rolled out to other markets, including the US. It reflects ShopBack’s broader goal of making everyday activities more rewarding.

ShopBack is also preparing to expand several of its existing offerings internationally, such as ShopBack E-Receipts, which rewards users when they upload purchase receipts on everyday essentials, and ShopBack Pay, which provides cashback for in-store purchases.

The former is available only in Australia and Taiwan, whilst the latter is being expanded from Singapore, Australia, and Malaysia to Hong Kong.

As the company scales globally, it is also investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI), which Leong described as central to its next phase of growth. He said AI tools have improved ShopBack’s internal productivity and are being used to create more personalised experiences.

“Through AI, we will better understand our customers and what they need. With that, we'll be able to personalise their shopping journey and give much better recommendations across multiple categories,” he said.

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