Singapore Holiday Shopping Survey Signals Mobile Priority

Seven in 10 Singapore consumers plan to do most or all of their holiday shopping online in 2026, according to Integral Ad Science (IAS). For Singapore’s franchise community, the findings offer a timely planning signal: online shopping intentions remain substantial, mobile retains its importance, and most respondents expect to maintain or increase their seasonal budgets.

Online shopping intentions ease from 2025

The IAS Holiday Shopping Singapore 2026 Report, covered by Retail Asia on 30 September, found that about 70% of consumers intend to do most or all of their holiday shopping online. That compares with 76% in 2025, a decline of six percentage points.

The change deserves attention, but it should not obscure the larger finding. A clear majority still expect online channels to account for most or all of their seasonal shopping. For franchise businesses selling products suitable for holiday purchases, that makes digital preparation a relevant part of seasonal planning.

Equally, the decline should not be presented as proof of a corresponding rise in physical shop sales. The reported figures describe consumers’ intentions, not completed transactions, and do not establish where any spending moving away from predominantly online shopping will go.

The useful distinction for franchise teams is between the direction of the year-on-year change and the current level of online preference. Online shopping intentions have eased, but remain widespread among the consumers covered by the report.

Mobile remains the leading shopping device

Mobile was named as the most-used shopping device by 71% of consumers, unchanged from 2025. This is a separate measure from the proportion planning to do most or all of their holiday shopping online; the two percentages should not be treated as interchangeable.

For the franchise community, the device finding offers a practical reason to review the customer journey on a phone. Where a business provides online purchasing, seasonal offers or outlet information, teams can check whether those functions are straightforward to use on a small screen.

That review might cover product descriptions, the visibility of offer conditions, checkout steps and the accuracy of collection information. These are suggested operational checks, rather than findings measured in the published research summary.

The unchanged mobile figure also provides a counterpoint to the lower online-shopping intention figure. Consumers’ stated preference for predominantly online holiday shopping has shifted, while the reported importance of mobile as a shopping device has held steady. Businesses should therefore avoid assuming that the former removes the need to prioritise the latter.

Budget intentions are steady, not guaranteed sales

The report also found that 81% of consumers plan to maintain or increase their holiday shopping budgets this year.

That combined measure offers useful context, but it needs careful interpretation. It does not mean that 81% intend to spend more: consumers planning unchanged budgets are included alongside those planning increases. The supplied research does not give a separate percentage for each group.

Nor does the figure establish how those budgets will be divided between brands, product categories or purchasing channels. It cannot, on its own, support a sales-growth forecast for a particular franchise business.

For operators, a sensible use of the finding is as background for planning rather than as a substitute for outlet-level evidence. Reviewing recent sales, customer enquiries and existing seasonal commitments alongside the consumer intentions would help keep decisions grounded in the circumstances of each business.

Turning the findings into a measured seasonal plan

Taken together, the three figures describe a market in which predominantly online holiday shopping remains common, mobile remains the leading device and most consumers expect to protect or expand their budgets.

They do not establish a single winning promotional approach. Franchise teams can instead use them to frame specific questions: is the mobile experience ready, are online offers clear, and can participating outlets fulfil the promises made in seasonal communications?

For networks coordinating activity across several outlets, checking consistency between central campaigns and local information is a practical starting point. Any decisions on stock, staffing or promotional expenditure should still reflect the business’s own evidence.

Practical takeaway: Use the IAS findings to prioritise a mobile customer-journey check and review holiday plans, but do not treat shopping intentions as guaranteed demand or the combined budget figure as a promise of higher sales.