Singapore – A total of 8 in 10 Southeast Asians are purposely waiting for Black Friday to fulfil their annual wish lists, a report from Milieu Insight revealed.

The data further showed that more than half, or 63%, across the region willingly wait for Black Friday to make higher-priced purchases, with Vietnam topping the list of countries at 76%.

While the report suggests a wide diversity and priority in Southeast Asia’s shopping list during the Black Friday season, fashion (65%) came out on top, followed by electronic gadgets (56%), and personal care products (56%), who both got the same results.

Interestingly enough, digital channels such as online shopping, app deals, and digital payment transactions showed promising results during the Black Friday shopping spree in the region.

The data from the report highlighted that 72% of people in the region prefer online shopping during Black Friday, showcasing a preference for the convenience and accessibility offered by digital platforms. Among the countries, Indonesia takes the lead, with a whopping 94% now favouring online shopping. Singapore is also closely behind at 81%.

While cash (43%) and cash follows (32%) maintain a significant share of the payment options, almost 65% of Indonesians, 58% of Malaysians, and 58% of Thais already showed strong preference for using e-wallets during their shopping. These numbers surpass the regional average of 50%, underscoring the prevailing regional inclination towards digital transactions.

Social media and cashback apps are also playing significant roles in encouraging more consumers in the region to do their shopping. The reports revealed that social media (69%) and shopping or cashback apps (54%) are among the ones that keep consumers informed about on-going and upcoming Black Friday deals.

This is especially important as deals such as cashback or rebates drive purchasing decisions for Southeast Asians. Cashback or rebates (63%), early access deals (30%), and flash sales (53%) are among the key motivators for consumers to purchase during the shopping season.

These factors underscore the evolving needs of Southeast Asian shoppers, who seek not only discounts but also additional perks that enhance their overall shopping experience.

The data from the Milieu Insight report shows that digital channels have a profound influence on shaping consumer behaviour and driving awareness among Southeast Asians during this shopping bonanza.

Singapore – Black Friday and massive year-end sales are here and shoppers are ready to tick off their lists–even in the least ideal times. An Aussie study has already revealed that some shoppers have added to cart and checked out–while drunk. Meanwhile, Singaporean shoppers, on a lighter note, would do it–out of boredom. 

Of more than a thousand Singaporean adults, 37% will shop sales for a number of different reasons. Topping their intentions was surprisingly to stave away boredom, with 16% saying so, found a survey by comparison platform Finder

This is only slightly higher than the number of people who’ll shop because the sales provide good value (14%). In terms of demographics, women are slightly more likely than men to shop the sales overall (38% women vs. 37% men), while men are more likely to be shopping out of boredom (18% men vs. 15% women). 

Meanwhile, Singaporeans aged 65 and above are most likely to shop the sales, with 41% of people from this age group saying they’ll be making a purchase. Only 33% of those aged 35-44 say the same. 

Despite affirmative findings, the survey also found that 63% of Singaporean adults choose not to shop for reasons such as inflated prices (6%) and due to personally-eyed sales not being discounted (5%). 

Singapore – With Black Friday sales fastly approaching and planned by various brands, around 54% of Singaporean adult shoppers say they are willing to shop during these sale drops, only if the discounts given are ‘enough and right’, found a survey from global comparison platform Finder.

The latest survey found that Singaporean adults need an average discount of just under half price or 48% from the original price to partake in the shopping event. Furthermore, 15% say they’ll need a whopping 90% discount for them to shop the sales, while 13% say they’ll buy something in the sales if it’s half price with 8% willing to shop if it’s discounted by 25%.

By age group, the survey found that 18 to 24 year olds are much more likely to shop during the Black Friday sales, with 65% saying any type of discount could catch their eye, with 41% across 45 to 54 year olds, and 46% of those aged 65 and above stating the the same.

The survey also notes that Singaporean men are more likely than women to have their interest piqued, with 58% of men saying they’ll shop if the discount is big enough compared to just 48% of women.

Singapore – Promo and discounts platform ShopBack has started its annual end-year shopping festival, ShopFest, for 2020 for its nine Asia Pacific markets.

ShopFest will be running from 1 September to 31 December, covering the key end-of-year shopping dates around APAC including 9.9, 11.11, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. 

During ShopFest, alongside being able to use exclusive deals and earn cashback from both online and offline retailers, users will be able to run some of the platform’s new features: vouchers, product comparison, and ShopBack challenges.

Vouchers can be redeemed using the cashback balance in the user’s bank account, or purchased via credit card.

Meanwhile, the product comparison feature is a product aggregation service for users to search and compare products from ShopBack’s merchant partners. The feature is also said to enable viewing of price history and the option to set price alerts to assist in more informed purchasing decisions.

With challenges on the other hand, it is an added feature for users to receive bonus cashback and other attractive rewards via completion of specific tasks and challenges.

Henry Chan, co-founder and CEO of ShopBack said, “Many consumers look forward to the year-end shopping season, however, it can be overwhelming for the consumer as more and more online retailers participate each year. At ShopBack, we wanted to create a unified platform to seamlessly connect these brands and consumers, and at the same time help consumers cut through the noise and better navigate through the various sale events and deals.”

The newly integrated features are said to roll out across ShopBack’s nine markets at different times over the next year.