Japanese consumers are the biggest GSS shoppers: Kadence

SINGAPORE - A seven-hour flying time is no deterrent for Japanese tourists, who are the mostly likely to travel to Singapore for the Great Singapore Sale (GSS), according to new findings from market research company Kadence.

According the study, nearly two-thirds of Japanese have heard of the GSS, and eight out of 10 were willing to travel to shop—the highest of all nations. In comparison, fewer than one in three Australians had heard of the GSS.

Kadence ran a nine-market study across the region to determine the habits and preferences of shoppers who are looking for deals—in the GSS or any other sale.

Shoppers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, China and Singapore were all most likely to be 'rummagers': those who are is willing to search through every single piece to find a real bargain.

Consumers in Thailand and India have a less frantic approach to sales. They are more likely to be ‘coordinators’ (42 percent and 32 percent, respectively): people who spend days stalking out their ideal malls, stores and items before heading to the stores. People in this category use information and price comparisons that are available online and are fully equipped to make smart purchases. This is particularly likely to be a male shopper type, with over half in Thailand identifying with this approach.

Japanese consumers come under the ‘bulk buyers’ category. These are shoppers who purchase multiple versions of the same items, sometimes even buying the same style in different colours.

The next type of shopper is ‘the saver’, which is most likely to be found in Singapore. These consumers will wait for months for an expensive item to be available on sale and are typically the first people in stores during sale time. Finally, there is the ‘impulse buyer’, who is driven to make a purchase on the spot as a result of seeing something they simply do not want to miss.

Although the study showed the most common shopper during GSS was the rummager (29 percent), 28 percent of Japanese respondents are bulk buyers, compared to the average of 14 percent. What Japanese people are not is impulsive buyers, with only 8 percent seeing themselves in this category.

“Therefore the best way to attract the Japense consumers would be to clearly state what options and discounts are available,” the study concluded.