Retail done the Asian way

It is best to spend the winter where the sun shines and the weather is warm, so in November we decided to start the year in the Far East. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are exciting destinations for both young and old. Singapore, the Lion City is special, large and beautiful. Retail is given another meaning compared to what we are used to at home. We flew with Singapore Airline that has been the world’s No.1 for years; even the economy class provides excellent service – comfortable seats, great food and drinks, 60 films and flight attendants pay attention even to the smallest details. Singapore’s airport advertises itself as a shopping city: the design and quality of shops match the level of the best shopping malls, you can find everything here. Both shop windows and shop assistants inspire you to shop, not to mention prices – and this is only the beginning. You are not expected to give a tip anywhere, prices in restaurants include a service charge and cab drivers do not accept a tip either. In Singapore’s Chinese quarter you feel like you were in a bazaar: you can touch and feel everything. The Indian quarter is a bit different, the shops look different and shop assistants try to convince customers that the product was made exactly for them. In eastern cultures serving the customers is the number one priority, followed by making profits. Singapore is the centre of Asia, in terms of banking, modern retail and trade marketing methods. Colours, scents, prices and products all make you buy things, it is impossible to resist. Conscious and spontaneous decisions complement each other. Shopping malls stun you with their size and product range. In these malls the shops of the same brands can be found on every storey, using a different concept to present products. Products follow the latest trends, while prices of branded products could be as low as 30 percent of those in Europe or Budapest. Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia, one of Asia’s most dynamically developing countries. GDP growth is at 8 percent and the driving force behind growth is oil found in the sea. Small houses stand next skyscrapers, people are nice and smiley. You also get the bazaar feeling here, tourists are taken to jewellers or chocolate manufacturers. Everything for the customer – shop assistants are nice, smiley and patient. If you do not buy anything today you will tomorrow. They know what they sell and feel the vibe of customers. With the Chinese New Year approaching there were lots of promotion campaigns in both cities, offering lower prices and gifts. In Kuala Lumpur there is a 10-storey shopping mall where product quality and the way goods are displayed is like in a Chinese market. Shops are large and there is air conditioning. There are numerous cafés and restaurants, all of them clean and tidy – and the same is true for the streets. Everyone is doing their job and the country is developing.