FOR a small nation, we take our shopping seriously - there are more than 20,000 retail outlets selling almost everything in Singapore. Yet, there are plans afoot to increase the number of malls and refine the product mix to create a total shopping experience.
Unique shopping experiences
Gone are the days when retailers competed merely on price. Chief executive officer Tang Wee Sung of home-grown retailer Tangs feels that customers want to be excited by new merchandise and the environment.
Shops like Planet Traveller that cater to particular niches and sophisticated tastes are thriving.
This means that the sight, sound, smell and decor are important factors in a pleasurable shopping experience. "Shoppers have to feel a good vibe in the store before they start purchasing," he says.
Other retailers have also cottoned on to this "shopping-as-an-experience" concept with themed stores, fashion previews or private sale events. The Jay Gee Melwani group's Levi's flagship store in The Heeren boasts a chill-out section and two lighting effects - daylight and club light - in the fitting rooms. It also organised the al fresco Aigner fashion show on Cavenagh Bridge at the Singapore River in May last year.
On the national front, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has been instrumental in spearheading and supporting successful retail events like Singapore Fashion Festival, The Great Singapore Sale and JewelFest.
One of STB's latest initiatives is Friday Late Night Shopping at Orchard Road, which has participating malls and outlets extending their operating hours till midnight on the last Friday of each month. So far the response has been encouraging, with retailers like Tangs reporting a 47 per cent increase in sales compared with a regular Friday.
Niche retailing With regard to those who complain that shopping in Singapore is the same everywhere, Mr Tang thinks that they could possibly be shopping on a different planet. "There has already been a development of various shopping formats that are based on lifestyle themes," he says.
Today's consumers are more sophisticated, so malls and stores like Velocity and Planet Traveller that cater to particular niches in the market are thriving. Even Tangs has joined in the game with boutique-within-store concepts like Playlab and Tang + Co.
"People are increasingly going to want the glamour and lifestyle associated with shopping. The new retail projects will draw in more tourists and inject a dynamic energy into the city." - MR TANG WEE SUNG (ABOVE), CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF TANGS
According to STB's director of tourism shopping and dining, Mr Andrew Phua, the biggest challenge for Singapore as a shopping destination is in exceeding the expectations of savvy consumers who are constantly in search of things that are trendsetting and at the cutting-edge.
It is this demand that has resulted in hip retail enclaves like Haji Lane and Club Street in the past few years. Mr Tang feels that these "pockets of coolness" make the shopping scene here vibrant and they create cult appeal. To this end, he is discussing with various government agencies to develop an area where entrepreneurial youths can retail experimental fashion at a low cost.
Change in the works
In a bold move to up the ante in the regional retail scene, the Government announced not only the development of two integrated resorts (Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World) in Singapore, but also exciting plans to remake Orchard Road.
The latter involves three prime land parcels in Orchard Road that will be developed into Orchard Turn, Orchard Central and Somerset Central - three new malls to catalyse new offerings.
STB will also invest $40 million to transform Orchard's infrastructure and landscape. Its target is to triple tourism receipts from $9.6 billion in 2004 to $30 billion in 2015, and double visitor arrivals from the current 8.3 million to 17 million.
Mr Tang agrees that things are on the right track.
He says: "People are increasingly going to want the glamour and lifestyle associated with shopping.
The new retail projects will draw in more tourists and inject a dynamic energy into the city."
