Consumer behaviour

Is 2026 the start of the world’s next consumer super-cycle?

The next global bull market may be driven by 3.5 billion Asians earning more, travelling more and spending more

CEO Donald Kng hopes revenue from Vetreska’s Fur stores can hit “seven digits in Singapore dollars”.

Singapore is the ‘litmus test’ for how much consumers will spend on their pets: Vetreska CEO Donald Kng

‘If this concept fails here then we don’t really need to try any other place,’ says company’s chief

Physical stores remain popular and outperform e-commerce overall, with 27% preferring to shop in-store.
RETAIL

How AI is transforming Singapore consumers’ shopping habits

Study finds that shoppers want seamless shopping across multiple platforms and demand greater payment flexibility 

Courts has automatically added unsolicited items into consumers’ shopping carts, while Prism+ has used fake countdown timers and misleading stock indicators.

Singapore consumer watchdog raps Courts, Prism+ for misleading website features

The watchdog urges consumers to review their shopping carts, verify payment amounts and question urgency claims

The panel discussion on consumer trends at Asia Future Summit 2025, from left: Cheryl Cheong of Samsung Electronics Singapore, Li Simeng of Chagee and Lien Choong Luen of Gojek. The panel discussion was moderated by Jeremy Au Yong, associate editor of The Straits Times.

Consumers driven by gratification and experience, not just cost, say Asian brand leaders

Samsung, Chagee and Gojek executives say consumers will still pay for the right experiences

In less than three years, OpenAI's ChatGPT has amassed more than 700 million weekly users, 99% of whom are individual consumers using free and paid versions of the program.

AI’s path to profits is being driven by consumers

A surprisingly robust market is growing out of people finding virtual friends and playing games

Holland Village is full of buzz and is pet-friendly, thanks mainly to the new One Holland Village development. But the area has lost its quirky mix of shops.
THINKING ALOUD

Holland Village, Boat Quay and other destinations that have seen better days

[SINGAPORE] Holland Village was a favourite destination of mine as a young working adult. It had a charm that differentiated it from the typical shopping areas. It was pleasant strolling about the sho...

Sales of Novo Nordisk’s obesity drugs are about to surpass what the company spent on R&D over the last 30 years.

Is the price of Ozempic really so outrageous?

Pharma companies need revenue cushions so they can spend future decades developing new drugs

While the pace of inflation is cooling, prices remain much higher than before the pandemic.

US consumers on edge about income, retirement in latest data

A record share of households are uncertain about the US economic outlook. Most expect inflation to take a bigger chunk of their incomes and the likelihood of a comfortable retirement is the lowest in ...

A recent survey found that 66 per cent of consumers thought private-label products were as good as branded alternatives.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Brand loyalty ain’t what it used to be

When concerns about high prices prompted shoppers to look around, many liked what they saw