Singapore — Over the last few years, consumers have adapted to drastically different routines. Due to this, the fundamentals of shopping have evolved, from their discovery of new brands and products, to how they evaluate and complete a purchase. Brands in Singapore need to understand the role of channels, advertising, and understanding shopper trends to create meaningful engagement with their shoppers, as reported by global adtech company Criteo.
The report found that shoppers are increasingly fusing their online and in-store habits to make purchases. The most popular habit of purchase among Singaporeans in 2021 was purchasing on an app, accounting for 86%, followed by browsing products online then purchasing them in a retail store, with 85%.
According to another one of the report’s findings, 63% of shoppers in Singapore say they would search directly on a retailer or brand’s website if they know specifically the item they are looking to buy, and 57% said that this would be their first place to search if they know the type of item they want to purchase.
On the other hand, only 17% would use search engines if they knew the item they wanted to purchase, and 23% would use search engines if they knew the type of item they wanted to purchase, respectively.
Taranjeet Singh, managing director of Criteo Southeast Asia and India, explained, “In a very technologically advanced market like Singapore, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has increased the number of touchpoints that brands have with consumers, resulting in more ways for shoppers to discover and buy products online.”
The report cites that a big reason for this is that shoppers are getting more value from retailer and brand websites, with 1 in 3 shoppers in Singapore saying that they have seen improvements in searching for products and finding what they are looking for on retailer and brand websites.
Shoppers go all the way a step further to leave a positive review about a good customer experience, with 77% of respondents saying this, meanwhile, 74% recommend a brand to someone based on whether they had a good experience. The converse has also been reported, with 62% of shoppers in Singapore saying they have told someone about a negative experience they had, and 52% leaving a negative review after a negative customer experience, in the last six months.
Across age groups, most shoppers confirmed that they click on ads while online, and buy products recommended to them in ads. This is especially true for Gen Z and Millennial shoppers, where 77% and 79% respectively affirmed these behaviours.
Singh added, “Our latest Shopper Survey findings reveal that while online channels remain in demand, physical stores continue to play an important role in the shopping journey as a source of immediate fulfilment with in-store offers, proximity and urgency continuing to drive shopper visits.”
On the topic of advertising’s role in the shopper choices, Singh, explained, “With recent trends indicating that shoppers appreciate the value of addressability in advertising – as brands recommend better and more relevant products that they would like to purchase – and now see it as a good way to discover new brands and products to purchase, retailers should explore how they can reach their target audience through a robust first-party data plan and commerce media strategy, supported by the right advertising solutions that can help them achieve their campaign outcomes and business goals.”
The report also stated that while discounts and offers remain the top incentive for shoppers to purchase, with 96% of shoppers indicating that this is important, shoppers have cited the importance of other benefits that they look out for, such as free shipping which accounts for 96%, a good range of products available on the platform tallies to 94%, high-quality product images with 93%, and a quick and easy check out process that accounts for 93%.