This Christmas, parts of tropical Singapore will see snowfall. From Changi Airport’s Jewel to Universal Studios Singapore on Sentosa Island, major shopping malls and leisure attractions across the country are rolling out mini “winter” experiences – alongside the usual festive lights and decorative Yuletide displays – in hopes of drawing as many visitors for some Christmas retail therapy.
But which retail and leisure attractions are sparking the most buzz among consumers with their ‘glow-ups’ this festive season?
Which malls and attractions in Singapore are exciting consumers most this Christmas?
Data from YouGov BrandIndex on Singapore’s most well-known shopping malls and leisure attractions shows that Changi Airport and Jewel mall is the most talked about over the month of November, as public spaces in Singapore deck up for Christmas.
Its WOM Exposure score (30.2%) – indicating the percentage of consumers who have talked about it to family and friends over the past two weeks – puts it well ahead of other top sites like Gardens by the Bay (19.3%), Universal Studios Singapore (15.5%), VivoCity (12.9%), Bugis Junction (11.2%), Plaza Singapura (11.2%), Suntec City (10.7%), ION Orchard (10%), Marina Bay Sands (9.5%), and Somerset 313 (8.2%).
Changi Airport Jewel also comes out on top among leisure places of interest that consumers have heard the most good things about in the past two weeks. It registered a net Buzz score (difference of all positive and negative buzz) of 34.2 over the month of November, followed at a distance by Gardens by the Bay (22.8), Universal Studios Singapore (14.3), VivoCity (12.7), Suntec City (10.8), ION Orchard (10.7), Plaza Singapura (10.6), Marina Bay Sands (10.6), Bugis Junction (9.6) and Somerset 313 (7.9).
While the year-end travel season likely contributed to the boost in consumer chatter around Changi Airport, seasonal attractions such as Changi Festive Village’s Candy Wonderland and Snow House at Terminal 3 and the Super Mario Pipe Around the World promotion at Jewel mall likely added to the buzz.
Likewise when it comes to public places of interest that consumers are considering a next visit to, Changi Airport Jewel leads at 38.2%, ahead of Gardens by the Bay (27.8%), VivoCity (23.8%), Suntec City (22%), ION Orchard (21.1%), Plaza Singapura (21%), Bugis Junction (19.7%), Universal Studios Singapore (16.9%), Marina Bay Sands (16.3%) and Somerset 313 (15.5%).
How has consumer interest to visit major retail and leisure attractions in Singapore changed over the past calendar year?
Data from YouGov BrandIndex also reveals that Changi Airport Jewel, Gardens by the Bay and VivoCity are the top three retail/leisure attractions that consumers in Singapore have most considered a visit to across the past year.
Comparing data for November 2022 versus 2023 shows that Changi Airport Jewel has seen the highest year-on-year growth in consumer consideration (+5.1%), followed by Marina Bay Sands (+1.6%), Somerset 313 (+0.6%) and Suntec City (+0.5%).
In contrast, consumer consideration most declined year-on-year for VivoCity (-3.6%), followed by Bugis Junction (-2.9%), Plaza Singapura (-2.5%), Gardens by the Bay and Universal Studios Singapore (both -1.0%), and ION Orchard (-0.2%).
As the Christmas weekend and actual festivities finally approach, how will consumer buzz and interest in visiting various malls and leisure attractions in Singapore change? YouGov BrandIndex’s daily tracking of consumer perceptions will allow interested parties to see just how much – and how soon.
This article is part of our Christmas buzz in APAC review series. Explore how other retail players in Australia and Singapore are sparking the most buzz with consumers this festive season in our companion articles below:
➤ Wishing trees to wombat soaps: Which department stores are winning Christmas in Australia?
➤ Celebrating big on the little things: Which supermarkets are winning Christmas in Australia?
Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Ad Awareness scores are based on the question: “Which of the following brands have you seen an advertisement for in the past two weeks?” (% Yes). Buzz scores are based on the following question: “Over the past two weeks, which of the following brands have you heard something positive/negative about the following brands?" (Net score). Consideration scores are based on the question: “The next time when you need to decide on a place of interest to visit, from which of the following would you consider visiting?” (% Yes). Figures are based on a 4-week moving average. Learn more about BrandIndex.
Cover Photo by Christmas Wonderland Singapore
