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GoSpree app found limited traction among shoppers: Survey

SINGAPORE — The GoSpree mobile app, launched to much fanfare as the digital solution to revive the sagging fortunes of the Republic’s Great Singapore Sale (GSS), was “suboptimal” and its impact “almost negligible”, a study by homegrown e-commerce aggregator ShopBack has revealed.

Singapore Retailers Association launched the 24th edition of The Great Singapore Sale, on June 9, 2017, with a new digital mobile application, GoSpree. Users can scan the QR code to download the app. Photo: Esther Leong/TODAY

Singapore Retailers Association launched the 24th edition of The Great Singapore Sale, on June 9, 2017, with a new digital mobile application, GoSpree. Users can scan the QR code to download the app. Photo: Esther Leong/TODAY

SINGAPORE — The GoSpree mobile app, launched to much fanfare as the digital solution to revive the sagging fortunes of the Republic’s Great Singapore Sale (GSS), was “suboptimal” and its impact “almost negligible”, a study by homegrown e-commerce aggregator ShopBack has revealed.

In a survey of 1,000 respondents, ShopBack found that only 625 people said they shopped during the nine-week duration of the GSS, which ended its run last Sunday.

Of that total, only 6 per cent of the shoppers used the GoSpree app. The rest of the respondents were either not aware of the app or did not think to use it.

“Content is important, but distribution is king. Introducing a new app in the overly saturated mobile app space to rejuvenate sales for the GSS might not be the best idea,’’ Mr Vincent Wong, country head at ShopBack Singapore, told TODAY.

“Leveraging existing platforms with an omni-channel presence or strong online presence may help to introduce another dimension of engagement for consumers,” he said.

In an attempt to “remake GSS 2017”, the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) had launched the GoSpree app to attract younger and more tech-savvy shoppers, as well as enable brick-and-mortar stores to log on to a digital platform.

The app allows users to download discount coupons and redeem them at participating retail outlets. According to Mr Thibault Ricbourg, director at pricing consultancy Simon-Kucher & Partners, the small portfolio of brands available on the GoSpree app might have been a key contributing factor to its limited success.

This was apparent especially in the apparel category, he said.

Dr Ang Swee Hoon, Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore Business School, said that a greater collective push by the retailers on the GoSpree app would have helped.

“There has to be a much bigger integrated push with all streams of products, retailers and GSS-related events reinforcing each other for the impact to be larger,” she noted.

Into its 24th edition this year, the GSS shopping festival has suffered flagging interest from both consumers and retailers.

According to ShopBack’s Mr Wong, shorter time sales such as Singles’ Day or Black Friday are better received by shoppers.

“People’s attention spans are getting shorter. Instead of lengthening the sales period, perhaps it’s better to make GSS more compact and drive more impact during a shorter window,” he said.

The SRA said the GoSpree app was downloaded over 30,000 times.

“Going digital with Gospree is the beginning of a retail transformation journey which SRA will lead in the ensuing years to help retailers benefit from technology,” said Ms Rose Tong, executive director, SRA.

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