Speech by MOS Alvin Tan at the Singapore Retailers Association Annual Forum 2026

Introduction

1        Thank you all for joining us at the first SRA Annual Forum. This is an excellent initiative that brings together retail leaders, industry professionals, and partners to share plans for the year ahead and discover new and innovative approaches to grow and bring vibrancy to our retail scene.

2        Being here at the Raffles Hotel is special for me. My late grandfather worked here many years ago. In his time, retail and hospitality were built on a simple handshake and face-to-face service. While the world has changed, the core principle of people interacting with one another remains something we have been eager to restore, not just online, but face-to-face. Today, we are finding new, modern ways to do it. We are also here to chart the future of our retail industry, which helps keep our neighbourhoods and commercial districts full of life. In fact, SRA and myself are also considering how to bring vibrancy to our HDB estates with the arrival of the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link.

An Evolving Retail Landscape

3        As the retail sector and landscape have already changed and will continue to evolve, I believe today's announcement is very timely. Today, SRA, WSG and TikTok are signing an MOU to transform how we reach customers and how we train our people. I know that retailers are evolving, and you are also navigating a very different and rapidly changing landscape. You are dealing with cost pressures, tighter margins, and even as we speak, a very uncertain global environment. Shoppers, like all of us, want more. We want speed. We want convenience. We want to buy something at the touch of a button. Consumers do not just want a transaction, they also want a meaningful connection to the brand.

4        As our shopping journey begins online, this is crucial from both the brand's and consumer's perspectives. Many of us browse during weekends or even on weekdays, asking ourselves, "What should I buy? Where should I go?" The line between online and in-store shopping has already blurred, so customers expect one smooth, responsive, and seamless experience, regardless of where they interact with your brand.

Retail Digitalisation and Social Commerce

5        To keep up, retailers in this room must embrace digital transformation. Take OSIM, for example, which uses AI and data to keep customers engaged through loyalty programmes across both their physical stores and digital apps. Similarly, lifestyle brand Commune is doing something similar, using augmented reality and immersive technologies to give shoppers a personalised, omnichannel journey.

6        A big part of this shift is "social commerce” a structural shift that brings together content, community, and commerce. Social commerce is not new; when I was in that space, it had already started a decade ago. However, it has now been supercharged, evolving at remarkable speed with innovations like livestreaming. This evolution matters because social commerce helps people and brands connect to reach audiences far beyond their physical stores, shortens the journey from discovery to purchase, and provides real-time insights into customer preferences.

7        Local brands like YoungHungryFree understand this need and are already using TikTok Shop and livestreaming to reach younger shoppers. They are building a strong brand identity and turning engagement into actual sales. As we use more AI and data-driven solutions, our jobs as retailers must also change. Livestreaming, for example, has created entirely new roles in the realm of social commerce.

Workforce Transformation

8        If you are a livestream host, you serve as the face of the brand whilst building trust with your audience. You are adapting your messages on the fly, responding to real-time metrics. The second role is the livestream seller, working behind the scenes, supporting the livestream host by planning content, tracking performance data, and managing stock and pricing in real time whilst the host is busy livestreaming. Behind these two roles, you have the livestream engineer, ensuring technical stability and broadcast quality. These three distinct roles had never existed before. This demonstrates that retail is a mix of storytelling, strategy, and technology.

9        The MOU we are signing today will help our workers develop these new skills, including data analytics and technology, through WSG career-focused programmes. Retailers can redesign positions and support their staff in transitioning to these emerging social commerce roles. These steps will hopefully encourage more of us to explore social commerce and livestreaming.

Conclusion

10       The future of retail is not about choosing between a physical store or an online site. It is about creating an experience that delivers the best possible service to customers. It is an integrated approach that will draw customers to your physical stores, generate excitement, and hopefully stimulate sales.

11       Earlier, I spoke about my grandfather, who worked here at Raffles Hotel. My mother was a retailer just down the road. She opened a store selling Korean furniture. Many years ago, it was a brick-and-mortar store, and as a little boy, I helped her to market the business. If she had TikTok Shop or other platforms available then, I think she would have used a cute little six-year-old to help with promotion. But at that time, such tools did not exist.

12       Now you have these tools. You have the reach, you have the ability to livestream whatever you want to sell, whether it is Korean furniture, ties, bags, or anything else. This MOU makes it possible to use these platforms and skills to bring retail to another level. With that, I wish you a very successful forum.