\n<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, traditional retail gifting still sees a strong revival, especially among last-minute shoppers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Retailers told CNA that there is a greater willingness to spend this festive season, with some shops recording more than a 10 per cent increase in sales year-on-year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At gourmet date retailer Bateel, sales this festive season are up by about 30 per cent compared to the previous month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The firm\u2019s senior sales associate Seha Amin said: \u201cWe have more corporate orders. We have a few companies that come and order with us (and) we will prepare the gifts for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corporate gifting is making a strong comeback, with some stores saying bulk orders now account for more than 60 per cent of their Christmas sales.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Swift Health Food, which sells gift baskets and health products, has seen sales rise by around 20 per cent on-year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Its founder and director Pearline Goh said some companies may have smaller budgets, but they are buying more gifts for their clients this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
E-commerce has also played a major role this holiday season.<\/p>\n
Gourmet Grocery said online sales have grown strongly over the past few years, driven by the flexibility and convenience of shopping from home and having purchases delivered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Its sales manager Matthew Nyam noted that demand between its online and in-store shopping is now fairly balanced.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think these days, there’re still people who still prefer to come to a retail shop to take a look and touch things, so it’s very equal,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n