If you think Singapore consumers are dumb, think again

Here are 7 top items they review before purchasing.

Singapore consumers are not easily persuaded by seemingly good deals, they read a lot of reviews about the product prior to purchasing.

According to Connected Life, a study of over 60,000 connected consumers across 50 countries from global research consultancy TNS, Singaporeans are some of the savviest shoppers globally, with nearly nine in ten (88%) carrying out some form of research before making a purchase, compared to 84% worldwide.

Online is the preferred method of pre-purchase research, with nearly eight in ten (77%) Singapore shoppers doing internet research, compared to seven in ten (69%) who look offline, for example in stores and magazines. This gives online retailers the upper hand when it comes to opportunities to influence shopper decisions. The data shows little difference in the amount of pre-purchase research by age group in Singapore: 16-24 year olds consult 4.8 pieces of information pre-purchase, compared to 4.1 sources for those aged 55-65.

It’s not just big ticket items like cars, flights, technology, holidays and financial services products consumers seek information on – it’s also cheaper everyday essentials such as shower gel, cosmetics, diapers and pet food. The majority of Singapore shoppers now adopt the considered, pre-planned approach previously reserved for high-ticket items, to buying lower-priced, regular shopping basket staples. Ever keen for a bargain, almost eight in ten (78%) shoppers say they do pre-purchase research for personal care products such as skincare, perfume and cosmetics, 90% for baby care products and 66% for hygiene items such as deodorant and shower gel.

Reaching the people who run Asia's businesses is harder than it used to be.

Inboxes are crowded. Attention is short. The executives you most want to reach — the founders, CFOs, and operators who actually move budgets — are the hardest to find through the usual channels. If you're building a company, a category, or a reputation, you already know this.

We've spent twenty years building the room they read. Singapore Business Review is where senior decision makers in Singapore and across Southeast Asia come for business coverage they can't get elsewhere — in print, online, and in person at the summits and roundtables we host across seven markets.

If you have something these readers should know about — a point of view worth publishing, a product worth their attention, an event worth their time — we'd like to hear what you're trying to do.

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