12,000 shoppers turn to GoSpree app
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The Great Singapore Sale (GSS), from June 9 to Aug. 13, is going digital this year with a new mobile phone app called GoSpree. The free app will operate as a “super mall” platform, allowing customers to get their hands on various e-coupons from different categories of retailers across the island.
Using the app, available in English and Mandarin, seems easy enough. Shoppers pick the discounts they want to enjoy and the app compiles the offers on a virtual card to be used at designated physical stores before they expire. The geo-location enabled app will also let retailers send e-coupons and flash deal alerts to shoppers nearby.
Each GSS retailer will also get a unique QR code, which may be displayed around the island. Users can collect these codes using the app’s code scanner to unlock special deals.
The app will also have a directory of participating retailers for users to browse through. To be launched on the first day of the nine week-long sale, the free app can be downloaded through the Apple Store and the Google Play store.
Its aim, says the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA), which organises the annual GSS, is to reach out to younger tech-savvy shoppers, as well as to help participating retailers, especially smaller stores in the heartlands, pull in shoppers during the sale.
Said SRA’s executive director Rose Tong: “With the GoSpree app, we are hoping to target anyone with a phone and incentivise their shopping experience.”
“We particularly want to reach out to smaller, independent retailers who can really leverage on the platform to target new customers and get additional publicity at no cost,” she said, adding that the sale will stretch past the National Day public holiday so shops can hold themed promotions.
Retailers will not be charged to list their offerings on the app, which is owned and copyrighted by SRA.
“With the GoSpree app, we are hoping to target anyone with a phone and incentivise their shopping experience.”
One retailer already on board is local design and lifestyle store Naiise, which will be offering $5 GoSpree e-coupons as well as exclusive discounts and offers to app users.
Said Naiise founder Dennis Tay, 32: “For us, getting on GoSpree offered us a chance to reach digital natives – many of whom are our target audience.”
“We feel the app is a move in the right direction because it is allowing retailers to transform the offline shopping experience and take it beyond the transactionary.”
Also on the app are retailers such as furniture and electrical giant Courts, department store Takashimaya and Millenia Walk mall – all of whom have e-coupons and special deals such as free parking vouchers that will be revealed when the app launches on June 9.
In addition, UnionPay cardholders will get access to exclusive deals through the app. The GSS this year, supported by Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and UnionPay, is in its 24th run. The event has helped cement Singapore’s reputation as a shopping paradise and was launched by STB in 1994 to market the island as such.
The move to digitise the sale comes in the wake of the retail industry transformation map announced last September. The map, among other things, calls for retailers to innovate and try out new technology to reach out and engage with consumers.
So far, it seems like shoppers will bite.
Questions & Answers
Q.What is the primary aim of the new GoSpree app for the Great Singapore Sale?
What is the primary aim of the new GoSpree app for the Great Singapore Sale?
The Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) aims to reach younger, tech-savvy shoppers and help participating retailers, especially smaller heartland stores, attract customers. It also seeks to incentivise shopping and provide additional publicity at no cost to independent retailers.
Q.How will retailers benefit from using the GoSpree app for their sales promotions?
How will retailers benefit from using the GoSpree app for their sales promotions?
Retailers can send e-coupons and flash deal alerts to nearby shoppers using the app's geo-location feature. They can also get a unique QR code for special deals and list their offerings on the platform without charge, helping them reach new digital customers.
Q.Which specific retailers have already signed up to participate with the GoSpree app?
Which specific retailers have already signed up to participate with the GoSpree app?
Local design and lifestyle store Naiise is already on board, offering e-coupons and exclusive discounts. Other participating retailers include furniture and electrical giant Courts, department store Takashimaya, and Millenia Walk mall, all offering various deals.
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