Singaporean shoppers adapt online-offline shopping approach

Over half would check and compare prices online, and purchase products via physical stores.

Retail spending in Singapore is expected to grow 13.1% between 2022 to 2026, with online outstripping offline retail sales in terms of growth.

Online sales are expected to exceed S$5.3b by 2026, a 46.2% increase from 2022, according to a research commissioned by Amazon and done by data and analytics company GlobalData

However, offline sales are unlikely to free fall, with Singaporean consumers adapting a combined offline and online approach to spending.

Around 50% of Singaporean consumers prefer online for checking and comparing prices; whilst 48.9% of respondents said that they would then go to physical stores for purchasing products, the study found. 

Over half, or 57.3%, said that they also would look at online reviews and comparison sites, before going to the physical store to buy the product. 

The opposite also happens, with 48.2% of respondents saying that they have also visited stores for inspiration and ideas before buying online.

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“Consumers are increasingly integrating online with offline during their shopping journeys, with each channel offering different benefits. This shows that there is no separate online and offline retail sectors, but rather a single sector that is rapidly digitizing,” GlobalData said.

However, shoppers in the city are less likely to use a mobile during their in-store shopping journey, compared to other Southeast Asian shoppers, with about 1 in 3 or even 1 in 4 of respondents doing this.

A total of 39.4% respondents checks the prices of the product in their mobile phone while shopping in-store; and 30.8% look at reviews online while in-store.

GlobalData's study made use of responses from  a survey of 7,000 consumers across the various countries, conducted in November 2022.