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Ministry of Trade and Industry
3. Parliamentary replies

Senior Minister of State Sim Ann oral reply to to PQ on online retail sales for local and foreign e-commerce and its impact

4 July 2017

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Question

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) (a) whether the Ministry collates data on online retail sales for local and foreign e-commerce; (b) if so, what is the sales volume transacted by Singapore-based residents with foreign companies via e-commerce over the past three years; (c) how has this overseas e-commerce impacted on local businesses; and (d) what is the Ministry doing to help local e-commerce businesses to improve their sales.


Answer:

  1. The Government tracks internet transactions made with locally-issued credit and debit cards. Over the past 3 years, the total value of such transactions with local entities was about $18.3 billion, representing around 74% of total internet transactions. Internet transactions with foreign entities amounted to $6.4 billion.

  2. About 3% of total retail receipts in Singapore comes from e-commerce. While e-commerce presents competition to our local retailers, it also gives Singapore retailers the opportunity to expand their reach to the region and beyond. Under the Retail Industry Transformation Map (ITM) launched in September 2016, we aim to grow the e-commerce share of total retail receipts to 10% by 2020. This is in line with the retail ITM vision for a vibrant retail industry comprising a mix of highly productive omni-channel retailers and local brand owners with global footprints.

  3. The Government will assist local retailers to build digital capabilities and enable access to e-marketplaces under the Retail ITM. As part of the SMEs Go Digital initiative launched at Budget 2017, SPRING and IMDA have pre-qualified e-commerce solutions that can be readily adopted by SMEs. In collaboration with partners like Google, SPRING also provides support to SMEs to strengthen their digital marketing. IE Singapore also helps companies leverage e-commerce to unlock growth opportunities in overseas markets. Besides support through the Market Readiness Assistance scheme and the Global Company Partnership scheme, IE Singapore connects companies to global, regional or niche e-marketplaces that are relevant to their internationalisation strategies.

  4. Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) are also important multipliers to accelerate e-commerce adoption among SMEs. For example, the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA), with the support of SPRING and Workforce Singapore, is developing an SME e-Commerce Accelerator Programme to help retailers build integrated strategic plans for omni-channel implementation. Besides TACs, we have also seen greater participation from the private sector in supporting our SMEs. The 99% SME movement is a national initiative led by SingTel, DBS, and Mediacorp. Initiated in 2015, the effort makes e-commerce accessible to more companies through the set-up of an e-marketplace and offering training opportunities.

  5. The Government also helps members of the retail industry workforce adapt and upskill to keep up with developments in e-commerce. To support this, SPRING has worked with SkillsFuture Singapore to develop a Skills Framework for the Retail sector incorporating e-commerce and digital marketing, which will be launched later this year.

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