Better bargains lure Singapore consumers to online shopping: survey

Six in ten buy online at least once a month.

Brick and mortar stores may be going out of fashion in Singapore, as PwC’s Total Retail survey reveals that majority of Singapore shoppers are casting their eyes and wallets to online shopping.

PwC surveyed 23,000 online shoppers in 25 countries, with 500 respondents from Singapore, and learned that Singaporeans are avid online shoppers, though this is a relatively recent trend with over 6 in 10 (62%) shopping online for three years or more. Still, about 6 in 10 (60%) say they buy products online at least once a month.

The survey further reveals that the most popular out-of-country online purchase for Singapore residents was clothing and footwear (58%). Books, music, movies and video games came in second (40%), while health and beauty was third most popular (39%).

Moreover, though over 4 in 10 (45%) Singapore online shoppers prefer buying clothing and footwear in-store compared to the 3 in 10 (30%) who do, more than half of respondents (55%) shared that the main influencer for buying online was that the products were cheaper.

Even while in-store, over 3 in 10 (39%) say they have used their mobile/smartphones to compare prices with competitors. Additionally, over 6 in 10 (67%) reveal that they shop in overseas online retailers for better prices.