Great Singapore Sale 2016, 3 Jun - 14 Aug

FireIce SG

http://www.greatsingaporesale.com.sg/live-gss-2016/index.html

FireIce SG

The Great Singapore Sale (GSS) starts today.

And for the first time, it will go on for 10 weeks instead of the usual eight.

This is to cater to tourists from the Asia Pacific region, whose summer holidays "fall in the June to August period", said Mr Anthony Gan, executive director of the Singapore Retailers Association.

According to MasterCard, which was the official GSS card last year, tourists spent about 15.3 per cent more last year than in 2014.

UnionPay International is the new official card of GSS

This time, tourists can expect goodies like $10 taxi vouchers when they spend a minimum amount at selected outlets using UnionPay cards.

They can also take part in a lucky draw for a return trip to Singapore, including air tickets for two and a hotel stay.

Singaporeans are included as well.

The five biggest spenders each day, both local and foreign, will get a $100 reward.

WIN BIG

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), the official media partner of the GSS, is also offering $320,000 worth of prizes in SPH's Shop and Win draw.

A Subaru XV, A Nissan Sylphy and shopping sprees at Metro are among the prizes up for grabs.

Shoppers can also turn up with their receipts to try out The Maze Craze at Ion Orchard. It is a mini game where participants navigate a small maze and zap QR codes to win prizes.

Mr Tan Ooi Boon, head of integrated sales and print classified at SPH, said they were confident of GSS' success this year.

Despite the rise of online shopping, he pointed out that shopping was a "national pastime" in Singapore.

Mr Tan said people would return to stores as "good customer service never goes out of fashion".

TNP

FireIce SG

This year's Great Singapore Sale, which started on Friday (June 3)-will run for a longer period -10 weeks, up from eight for the past 12 years - and have a new official card, UnionPay International.

The extension of the sale period is to better cater to tourists from Asia-Pacific countries, including China, whose summer holidays fall in the June to August period, said the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA), the organiser of the GSS.

Here are five things to know about the sale:

1. There are no "official" participants of the GSS, as merchants do not need to register formally or sign up with the SRA to take part. All merchants who offer special deals during the sale period are considered GSS participants.

2. The SRA does not determine the discounts or promotions that retailers offer. These are left entirely to the businesses .

3. Retailers do not have to hold sales for the entire GSS period. Those which started their GSS sale before June 3 this year include Robinsons, Metro and Mothercare.

4. Businesses do not have to use the GSS logo or event name to be part of the sale. This is left to the businesses to decide according to their respective operating guidelines and marketing strategies.

5. As the GSS ran from end-May to end-July from 2004 to 2015, the retail sales index for June and July was used as a performance indicator. According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry's Department of Statistics, total retail sales (including motor vehicles) for June and July 2015 was estimated at $7 billion, a 6.1 per cent rise over the same periods in 2014.