The appeal of retail shopping is in decline and online shopping is now the rage.

According to a report by TODAY, Orchard Road, the once one-stop shopping haven in Singapore is fighting a losing battle to the increasingly diversified neighbourhood malls and convenient online shopping websites.

While data shows that shopping at neighbourhood malls surpasses the instances of people shopping at Orchard Road and online, the presence of supermarkets providing necessities seem to be the reason as to why there is such a high rate of frequent shoppers (once a week or more).

When it comes to variety and convenience though, online shopping provides these benefits – all with a few clicks of your mouse. Especially with popular sites such as Q0010 & Groupon which offers products at a very competitive pricing, it’s very hard not to have tried online shopping at least once.

Says PR & Marketing Executive Andy Lim, 27, “I tend to like watching out for Kickstarter projects. Online shopping websites help me get to these items which I’m pretty sure are unavailable offline. Many times, I realise that items are cheaper online too, because rental and manpower costs are close to none.”

Singaporeans And Their Monthly Online Spending Habits

According to a study done by market research company Nielsen in 2015 involving 1,639 participants, “Singaporeans are among the most active online purchasers globally across a broad range of products and services”.

41% of Singaporeans are considered to be Omni-channel shoppers and enjoy browsing online for information and purchasing their items at both online and offline retail channels, while 17% of shoppers are fully dependent on e-Commerce sites for browsing and making purchases.

To find out the general online shopping trends of Singaporeans in 2016, a sample size of 15 people aged between 21 to 35 years old were asked to list out their average online expenses on paper in whatever format they preferred. Of course, the study cannot be taken as a catchall for Singaporeans of all ages, but it definitely gives an insight on general spending patterns.

What Do They Buy Online?

1 – Online is the way to go for travel bookings

We pretty much book our travel needs including flight, hotels and even insurance online now. Aggregator sites like Agoda, Expedia and Hotels.com let us compare, match, and choose the one that best fits our requirements.

2 – Getting our fashion picks online

Thanks to fashion shopping sites, we now have 24/7 access to various international brands and products that once could only be bought in selected speciality stores or if we go overseas.

3 – An average of $325 is spent online every month

We spend a considerable amount of money online. With payment for items online usually being done via credit and debit cards, wouldn’t it be great if whatever you spent online translated to additional rewards?

Shop Online And Get Rewarded

Plus!, Singapore’s largest consumer reward programme with over 1.75 million members and 1,100 participating merchant outlets provides instant redemption and rewards to its members for their purchases. LinkPoints, which can be redeemed for shopping & dinning vouchers or offset your payment at Plus! Marketplace, are also accumulated for your online purchases.

There are three ways to earn LinkPoints online with Plus!

1 – Plus! Gateway

Enables you to shop over 200 global brands online including popular sites such as Microsoft, Groupon, Hotels.com, and earn LinkPoints on top of discounts!

2 – Plus! Marketplace

Features more everyday items including collagen from Kinohimitsu, nail lacquer from OPI and branded fitness trackers. What’s more, you get to offset your purchase with LinkPoints! With enough LinkPoints, you could get items at Plus! Marketplace for free!

3 – Earn directly with selected online merchants

Strategic partnerships with merchants including Agoda, foodpanda and more allows you to earn LinkPoints when you enter your NRIC / FIN number at the checkout page on selected merchants’ e-commerce site.

In line with the impending Great Singapore Sale (GSS) they are launching The Plus! Online Sale this shopping season!

It will run from 20th June to 31st July, and shoppers can look forward to special deals up to 70% off and even a bonus 1,000 LinkPoints with Plus! VISA Credit & Debit Cards with an accumulative spend of $300 on their cards throughout the campaign period.

The Plus! Online Sale – Weekly Merchant Spotlights

In a bid to help shoppers navigate the impressive number of merchants on the site, 3 merchants would be featured each week, with a spotlight on different categories.

• Week 1 – 20 Jun to 26 Jun (Everyday Needs)
• Week 2 – 27 Jun to 3 Jul (Travel)
• Week 3 – 4 Jul to 10 Jul (Fashion)
• Week 4 – 11 Jul to 17 Jul (Food)
• Week 5 – 18 Jul to 24 Jul (Beauty)
• Week 6 – 25 Jul to 31 Jul (Lifestyle)

Special Participating Merchant Offers

To name a few deals you definitely should not miss:

• Up to 70% OFF Storewide from Kinohimitsu when you shop via Plus! Marketplace
• Enjoy $50 OFF* when you shop at Courts Online
• Earn 4 LinkPoints for every $1 spent when you shop at MDS via gateway.plus.com.sg

*Terms & Conditions apply

Find out all the deals from plus.com.sg!

Personally, as a frequent online shopper, this promotion really gets me interested in what Plus! have to offer for this GSS season.

Would I check it out in the comfort of my home and avoid the horrifying Orchard Road crowd? Definitely.