One reason to download WeChat this season: Orchard Road GSS exclusive deals you cannot miss!


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A difference between the yearly Great Singapore Sale this year is that the Orchard Road Business Association (Orba) is that they have taken to using social messaging apps in driving and promoting their sales.

Said to be a way to reach out to Chinese consumers, the association decided to create an account on Wechat to communicate with potential customers from China.

With promotions from fashion, accessories, dining, electronics and to household items and even services, you’ll be able to find these deals just at the touch of your phone.

Hoping to boost sales through the given high-tech devices that most people would have, Orba hopes to be able to gather more demand through this way.

Image: straitstimes.com

They recently hired a marketing agency in China to come up with regular promotions to entice more sales for various stores. Pointing out that Singapore’s tourism growth is expected to slow down due to the weak global economy plus the growing trend in online shops meant a decrease in retail stores having customers and sales.

Hence, they decided to approach consumers from China as they offered hope for the retail industry.

Comparing statistics and figures, they realise that tourists from China increased 22% from previous years.

With a spending of $2.54 billion, people from China takes the top ranking among spenders in the retail market.

Using the app, the team promotes various deals while using the Chinese lingo to relate and appeal to the consumers. Mainly promoting brands that are sold alongside Orchard Road, you’ll find familiar brands across the app with bargains at a steal.

Working together with the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA), which provides Chinese payments, like UnionPay, to add convenience to the shopping experience, the collaboration started during the China’s summer holidays hoping to gather more sales.

Stores have taken to adjust their products to suit Chinese tourists including selling fashion jewellery instead of precious metals like gold and silver as business owner, Kanika Mittal of Taula Jewellery in Clarke Quay realised the trend in fashion jewellery among Chinese tourists. Sales went on a bargain as much as $29 from the usual price of $49.

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Takashimaya is also known to strategize their sales by displaying items that are on huge sales because they found that Chinese tourists would often go ahead and purchase it.

Their spokesman said that Chinese tourists serve as 30% percent of their foreign customers hence, they looked to the WeChat app and market their products through that method as well.

Usually spending on luxury goods in the past, it was seen that Chinese tourists have widened their shopping to include hotels, flights and dining and retail deals.

In order to increase their sales, the industry can only look to adjust their marketing strategies to target their audience. Said that without the app, Chinese tourists usually look for a number of factors in the shop before they decide to shop. Some of these factors include Mandarin-speaking staff, special deals and offers, shops that provide payment through UnionPay and goods and services with tax refund services.