Singapore Digital Marketing 2022
8 Jul , 2022
Singapore, one of the most established international commerce hubs nowadays, has the 4th highest ranked GDP per capita. Like many other countries in the world, Singapore has seen an increasing shift towards digital marketing, proven by its increasing digital ad spend at USD $1.13 billion in 2022. Singapore digital marketing is highly recommended for not only local brands, but to all who want to expand their businesses to this highly developed, technology-oriented centre. This article will round up the essence of Singapore’s digital marketing based on its 2022 digital landscape, trends and future opportunities for you to effectively promote your brand and increase your sales revenue in the market.
Singapore Digital Marketing Landscape and Trends in 2022
Singapore Digital Marketing Opportunities in 2022
1. Singapore Digital Marketing Landscape and Trends in 2022
Pushed by its advanced digital technology and rapid development, Singapore is a fully urbanised country with a 5.92 million population size. It is unsurprising to see that there is a 92% internet penetration rate and 89.5% of Singaporeans being active social media users in 2022.
1.1 Digital Media Usage in Singapore
On average, Singaporeans spend 7.5 hours on the Internet every day, including 2 hours and 53 minutes on videos and 2 hours and 31 minutes on social media. It’s noticeable that the time spent on press media, podcasts and game consoles have been considerably longer, with a total increase of 1 hour and 14 minutes. Music streaming services are being used much more by Singaporeans this year. With a 27.2% increase, they spend 1 hour and 43 minutes on these services. The numbers give you a positive sign in Singapore digital marketing on these media channels.
Around two-thirds of Singaporeans use any kind of social media platform to find information about brands and products, which has reflected the reason why social media could occupy 41% of total digital ad spend in Singapore. It also acts as a crucial channel to redirect audience to your ideal landing website page and boost conversions. Facebook dominates the source of web traffic referrals among social medias in Singapore by 61.4%. It is followed by Twitter (12.45%), Pinterest (6.62%) and Instagram (6.26%). As for Facebook, there is a potential reach of Singaporeans of 3.55 million, which is 60% of the total population in Singapore.
1.2 Mobile phone Usage in Singapore
Singapore has over 8.7 million smartphones domestically with cellular connections. 99% of Singapore’s active social media users access social networks via mobile. Smartphones are also particularly important for e-commerce marketing in Singapore that 63% of the e-commerce revenue are generated via mobile phones. Moreover, mobile phones account for 66.8% of web traffic with around three-quarters of them from Android OS devices. If your ecommerce stores would like to target the Singapore market in 2022, you may have to take a note on the digital marketing tips here.
1.3 E-commerce in Singapore
During the pandemic, e-commerce has risen and become popular among Singaporeans. In 2022, USD 6.16 billion was spent on online consumer goods purchases and over 55% of Singaporeans have purchased consumer goods via the Internet last year. Besides, the annual growth of Singapore’s B2C e-commerce spends increased by 38% in 2022. The top 4 categories on e-commerce spend are “Electronics”, “Fashion & Beauty”, “Furniture” and “Toys, Hobby, DIY”. If your brand falls into the categories above, grab the opportunity to boost your sales in Singapore e-commerce market in 2022!
1.4 Top Digital Marketing Platforms in Singapore
The most used social media platforms in Singapore are WhatsApp (83.7%), Facebook (79.4%), Instagram” (66.3%), Telegram (49.2%) and “Facebook Messenger” (46.6%). What worth a look is that there is quite a number of relatively new social media platforms gaining more popularity than ever in Singapore. TikTok (44.3%), LinkedIn (36.1%), Twitter (33.6%), you name it. TikTok is a social media platform for creating, sharing, and watching short videos. LinkedIn allows users to get the latest industry news and stay up to date with companies, while Twitter operates in a way similar to Facebook and Instagram, allowing users to post text-based feed to the community. Take a look at how our social media marketing service can help your brand enter Singapore market in 2022.
1.5 Top 10 Mobile Apps (By active users)
The most actively used app in Singapore is WhatsApp, a global messaging app. Excluding “Tracetogether” and “Singpass” which are established by the government to help trace Covid-19 transmissions and verify the Singaporeans’ digital identity, what follow by are Facebook and Instagram as the third and fifth most used app respectively in 2022 Singapore.
Ecommerce platform apps like Shopee and Lazada are on the top list as well. Shopee (launched in 2015) and Lazada (launched in 2012) are the leading e-commerce platforms in Singapore. They provide customers with an easy, secure and fast online shopping experience. More detailed information and statistics about Singapore e-commerce marketing can be found here.
2. Singapore Digital Marketing Opportunities in 2022
2.1 Podcast Marketing is Rising in 2022 Singapore
In 2022, Singaporeans on average spend 56 minutes listening to podcasts every day. That’s roughly the same as the Americans who have a drastic increase in podcast ad revenue, from USD 842.3 million in 2020 to USD 1.448 billion in 2021! With the help of a digital marketing agency, podcast marketing can be a very practical in entering the Singapore market in 2022.
So, what are podcasts? Podcasts are broadcasts that are placed on the Internet for anyone to listen or watch, which in turn provides a new advertising channel to market your products and you’re your brand. Marketers can have two approaches in doing podcast marketing: product placements or podcast audio ads. The latter allows podcasters introduce and promote your product to the Singaporeans along with their audio content. In comparison to traditional display ads, podcast audio ads are 6% more effective. It may be deemed as a small increase, but over 70% of the podcast listeners take action after hearing sponsored content. This increases your brand awareness in the Singaporeans’ head and leads to more leads and conversions. Marketers could promote their brand by either creating a podcast channel, or collaborate with famous podcasters to promote their products.
For example, in 2019, Dave Mitton, a famous early podcaster, joins The Spirit Guide Society to talk about JP Wiser’s Canadian whisky as a digital marketing campaign for JP Wiser. To the general public, the podcast is just daily conversations between the host and the guest, which may seem as ordinary. Indeed, the podcast episode allows listeners to have a deeper understanding of the brand value and grow their interest in JP Wiser’s products during that period. Not only does the whiskey product received more attention than ever, the brand has also built a sentimental connection with the audience, hence a long-term brand effect. Considering 55.6 increase of podcast listeners than a year ago, we believe podcast marketing has great potential in Singapore 2022. Reach out to digital marketing agencies like AsiaPac for localized Singaporean digital professionals creating optimal podcast marketing results for your brand!
2.2 Watch and Shop: Video Marketing in Singapore
Video marketing should not be underestimated in 2022 Singapore digital marketing plan. In Singapore, people spend two-fifth of their online time watching videos. YouTube remains the top video watching website for Singaporeans, with 1.71 billion total visits in 2021 and each user spending 20.3 hours on YouTube monthly. With the fact that 79% of consumers in Singapore prefer watching a video to get insights about a service or product before purchasing, and a quarter of Singaporean YouTube users mainly watch product review videos, video marketing in Singapore via YouTube can definitely reach tremendous number of Singaporeans.
Among the top five mobile apps that Singaporeans spent their most money on, three of them are video apps – Disney+, Bigo Live and YouTube. It shows the Singaporean’s high interest in video content and that’s why, to reach more potential customers, video marketing as one of the 2022 Singapore digital marketing strategies is recommended. This is furthered proven by the annual spend on different forms of digital marketing in Singapore, with video advertisements having the largest percentage increase at 29%. Click here to see how our video marketing service will help your brand enter the Singapore market!
It’s worth noting that another videoing platform, TikTok, is ranking the 6th in most-used social media platforms in Singapore. TikTok ads have potentially reached 1.83 million adult Singaporean TikTok users last year. Furthermore, on average, each user spends 16.3 hours per month on TikTok, with a 74% increase in time spent. Perceiving a spike in video ad reach and consumption rate in Singapore, numerous digital marketing opportunities in TikTok will be present in 2022 Singapore. AsiaPac, as an experienced TikTok and Douyin marketing agency, can definitely help you on planning out a tailored short video content with promising ad performance driven in the Singapore market.
2.3 Get Into the “Games” in 2022 Singapore Digital Marketing
Games, whether they run on mobile phones, computers or game consoles, are loved by Singaporeans. It is estimated that more than 1.4 million Singaporeans are gamers, and they spend 7.44 hours per week playing video games. Just by seeing the stably increasing revenue of video games to reach almost USD 250 million next year, we are confident to say that Singaporeans highly value video games, whether as entertainment or in the form of e-sports.
In other words, the gaming environment could be your favourable 2022 Singapore digital marketing channel. In-game advertising is particularly effective in boosting brand awareness for you brand. You can collaborate with games to incorporate your brand name into the title of a game challenge, or use dynamic display ads to catch the eyes of the audience. The prior digital marketing strategy is more preferable as it is not disrupting the audience, but recreating a branded gaming experience for them. Display ads in games have its advantages as well, that you can customized and localized your ad creatives to reach and possibly convert new Singaporean target audience. Either way, the Singaporean ad revenue from in-game advertisements have been very impressive, with a grand total of USD 42.3 billion in 2019 and is only going to rise in the future.
Let’s take a look at Singapore’s expeditious development in e-sports. In just 15 years, it has emerged as the world capital of e-sports. E-sports attracts both the Singaporean locals and other global citizens, so companies have been taking advantage of this opportunity to conduct in-game advertising or sponsor tournaments. For example, Coca-Cola has been a long-time sponsor of FIFA and by sponsoring the FIFA 17 e-sports competition, not only was its brand logo constantly exposed to the wide e-sports audience, but also creating a positive brand image that Coca-Cola is supportive of the e-sports development. E-sports marketing provides a platform for all brands to get in front of the Singaporeans, regardless of their budget. Consider whether your brand aligns with the gaming and e-sports value and market position, and if it is a “yes”, embrace the suggested digital marketing opportunity to enter the Singapore market in 2022!
2022 Singapore Digital Marketing Summary
Singapore, widely regarded as the top of the Four Asian Tigers nowadays, is a market you should not miss in 2022. Podcast marketing, video marketing, and gaming industry marketing will be the crucial Singapore digital marketing strategies in 2022. Upon utilizing these opportunities, you could maximize your company’s sales and revenue in Singapore. If you're already excited about expanding your business to the market but don't know where to begin, why not arrange a free consultation with AsiaPac's experienced team of digital marketing specialists in Singapore to develop the perfect digital marketing solution for your brand?
About AsiaPac Net Media
With an extensive digital marketing experience of serving more than 2,500 clients across Asia in sectors such as education, travel and hospitality, finance, Government and others, AsiaPac’s expert team is highly recognized for the excellence in providing performance-driven services to businesses across Asia, and global corporates targeting Asia markets. If you’d like to learn more about AsiaPac and the work we’ve done, visit our Work page. For more information on AsiaPac/ AdTech and our services, please contact us at info@asiapac.com.hk/ info@adtechinno.com.