Meet Singapore’s mobile-first shopping preferences

In Singapore, mobile phones dominate the retail landscape. Whether they're shopping online or in-store, Singapore’s shoppers are among the most likely globally (65%) to make a purchase on their smartphones. This marks a 42% increase since 2022—significant growth for an up-and-coming region, driven mostly by a sharp rise in use of mobile devices for in-store purchasing.¹

Consumers' preference for mobile-first shopping spans all age groups and income segments in the country, showing how deep and wide this shift to mobile is.²

Only shoppers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia are slightly more likely to shop on their mobile phones (67% and 66% respectively)— all three well ahead of the global average of 48%.

These are some of the key findings from the Singapore edition of the 2025 Global Digital Shopping Index.

The study shows mobile phones dominating computers in every digital shopping activity in Singapore. For example, consumers in the country:

• 'Window shop'—browse or research products—14 days a month on their mobile devices, compared with eight days on their computers
• Use mobile devices more often than computers to shop remotely for delivery and to buy online for in-store pickup³
   

Mobile usage is also high in Singapore's physical stores, where consumers use their mobile devices to shop seven days a month⁴ and expect access to digital features such as reward programs and inventory information.⁵

As consumers on the go become mobile-first shoppers, it's more important than ever for merchants to make checkout fast and easy. Offering payment via stored payment credentials and biometric authentication are popular—they help personalize and simplify checkout so shoppers can complete their purchases almost instantaneously. 

Merchants in Singapore can boost sales by providing seamless payment and checkout experiences. This begins with accepting a wide range of payment methods: 68% of Singapore shoppers said having access to their preferred option influences where they shop.⁶ 

For online shopping, shoppers in Singapore prefer credit cards (preferred by 37% of consumers), debit cards (22%), and digital wallets (16%). For in-store purchases, they prefer credit cards (34%), debit cards (21%), and cash (8%). Importantly, 41% of consumers indicated that access to their preferred payment method is highly influential on where they shop, by far the highest rate in the study.⁷

Merchants can simplify in-store shopping experiences by using the right technology for frictionless checkout. This can help merchants meet the evolving expectations of mobile-first customers as well as drive convenience, efficiency, and satisfaction so physical stores remain an essential part of Singapore's retail landscape.

Our research shows, however, that 37%⁸ of Singapore merchants are worried about the ability of their current payment technologies to meet their future needs, a figure that reaches 73% of SMB retailers.⁹ To overcome their concerns, merchants should consider implementing new technologies that enable them to meet customers' expectations and assure future growth and revenue.

Third-party providers like Visa Acceptance Solutions can help merchants confidently navigate these challenges with solutions that support contactless payment and checkout experiences across all channels, including physical stores. We can help merchants modernize and streamline the in-person payments for consumers who, for example:

• Prefer to shop in-store
• Use their mobile devices to assist in-store shopping
• Buy additional products when picking up online orders in-store
   

A single connection to our uniquely open Visa Acceptance Platform using Card Present Connect offers access to a range of solutions that enable secure, frictionless in-person payments, backed with Visa-grade security. Our solutions include:

• In-person Accept enables merchants to create smooth in-person checkout experiences on point-of-sale (POS) devices and smartphones (Tap to Phone). Customers can make contactless payments quickly and securely using cards or digital wallets.
• Estimated Authorization allows merchants to pre-authorize an estimated amount before a transaction to secure funds in advance, reduce friction at checkout, and drive higher revenue with upsell opportunities.
   

To find out more about the latest trends in digital and in-person shopping, get your copies of the 2025 Global Digital Shopping Index, global and Singapore editions.

Reach out to learn more about how Visa Acceptance Solutions and our uniquely open payments platform can help you create more personalized and unified payment experiences across all your channels.