SINGAPORE: A barrage of banners and posters screaming about bargains is usually a common sight at shopping malls along Orchard Road during the Great Singapore Sale (GSS).

But this year, discount signs bearing the familiar GSS acronym were largely missing along the country’s prime shopping belt as the annual sale extravaganza went online for the first time in its 26-year history amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The “eGSS: Shop.Win.Experience”, as it was called, started on Sep 9 and ended on Oct 10.

Instead of having shoppers trawling the malls for bargains, deals from nearly 400 home-grown and global brands were made available on an online platform called GoSpree.sg.

One could download discount coupons and use them for in-store purchases, play online games to win prizes like gift cards, and watch livestreams on Facebook for exclusive deals.

There was also a virtual mall that replicated the look and layout of a real store. Called the Furniture Centrum, shoppers could move around and zoom in on furniture pieces by clicking their mouse or tapping their mobile phones.

READ: Great Singapore Sale to go online this year with ‘new norm’ shopping experience amid COVID-19 pandemic

Its organiser, the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA), told CNA that its GoSpree platform had more than 200,000 page views during the month-long event. More than 20,000 discount coupons were downloaded, and at least 4,000 redemptions have been made so far.

An average of 4,300 viewers tuned in for its six livestreams on Facebook, with the most popular featuring limited deals from Resorts World Sentosa chalking up 30,000 views.

It was not able to track overall sales, however, as shoppers were directed to the websites and online platforms of individual brands to make redemptions or purchases.

But going by other indicators, its organisers felt the inaugural virtual GSS was a “success”.

“We did not set any specific targets or benchmarks, except to help our local retailers go digital by putting in place new ways of doing business like virtual reality,” said SRA executive director Rose Tong.

“I must say, we had a very heartening response. For example, livestreaming was a new marketing trend that we wanted to share with our retailers and we are quite happy with the results.”

Asked if the eGSS managed to attract shoppers in a hyper-competitive online shopping landscape, Ms Tong stressed that GoSpree is not an e-commerce platform.

“Anyone who wanted to go on an e-commerce platform would not go on GoSpree. We just wanted to augment retailers in their outreach and they saw us as an extension of their marketing efforts, especially during a pandemic like this. 

“Considering that this is a relatively new platform and (having the GSS online) is new to us, I would say that we have held our own ground,” she added. “As the organiser, we would say it is a success.”

“GOOD EFFORT” TO GO ONLINE

With the pandemic spurring more to buy online and safe distancing rules still in place for brick-and-mortar stores, industry experts said having the GSS as a virtual affair was a step in the right direction.

“It was a good effort by the SRA (and it) demonstrated that the SRA has been trying hard to innovate, push beyond traditional practices and do the best they can for retailers amidst these tough times,” said Singapore Polytechnic School of Business lecturer Lim Xiu Ru.

The SRA organised this year’s GSS in collaboration with the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC), the Textile & Fashion Federation (TaFF) and, for the first time, the Association of Singapore Attractions (ASA).

Experts said the partnership of various trade associations is a good move. Roping in the ASA, in particular, was “timely” with Singaporeans encouraged to take a local holiday.

“After all, we are in October and approaching the year-end. I believe parents are starting to plan when and how to utilize their annual leave, and where to bring their family. So, this is a good move to feature local attractions as it also helps to generate buzz and excitement about the eGSS,” said Ms Lim.

READ: Retailers need to move away from traditional business model to survive: Chan Chun Sing

Mr Samuel Tan, course chair of the retail management diploma course at Temasek Polytechnic, said the wider selection of partners and involvement of influencers in the livestreams widened the appeal of the annual sale event.

Activities to attract shoppers were “more interesting”, he added, citing the livestreams with product demonstrations as an example. “(This) is certainly more interesting and appealing to those who surf the internet or are frequent online shoppers.”

Livestreams were also a hit among brands that CNA spoke with.

Yumi Active, for one, said it was excited to try out a new way of selling its activewear.

“This is a medium that we have never tried before and we wanted to tap on this opportunity to work with a professional team to see how livestreams can be done and how people will respond,” said the brand’s founder Diana Chang. “If we are doing this on our own, we wouldn’t know how to.”

The virtual furniture mall featuring products from 28 local brands also got a thumbs-up from industry experts.

“While it cannot exactly replicate the customer experience of browsing and feeling furniture, it serves to pique prospective customers’ interest and before encouraging serious buyers to head down to the physical showroom,” said Ms Lim.

Rug and home décor supplier Living DNA said it had always wanted to dabble with virtual reality but was held back by considerations like cost.

“And putting so many stores together to recreate the feeling of a mall makes more sense. Doing it as a standalone might only attract those who already know who we are,” said its founder Denise Kaur.

“The Furniture Centrum was a platform that allowed us to explore virtual reality for the first time and it is something that we will continue to do so after the eGSS,” she added.

SFIC, the presenter of the Furniture Centrum, said it is encouraged by the response it has received.

The site received about 23,000 unique visitors and 87,000 page views during the eGSS, SFIC president Mark Yong told CNA.

“Another way we are measuring success is how we had more brands wanting to be part of the Furniture Centrum even when we were reaching the tail end of eGSS,” he said, adding that the virtual mall will stay open until next February.

“Our hope for the Furniture Centrum is to encourage our members to jump on the digital bandwagon. One of the beauties of this platform is that it allows us to analyse the data … and be able to tweak our strategy along the way, unlike what we do in the past for GSS where you make a plan and stick to it.”

READ: Tekka market stalls turn to live-streaming to sell fresh produce, as people stay home amid COVID-19

MIXED SALES RESULTS

Preliminary responses from some of SFIC’s members have indicated a pick-up in sales during the eGSS, although Mr Yong noted that there has also been more demand for home office furniture as people continue to work remotely.

Among retailers that CNA spoke to, home-grown jewellery brand In-trigue said it has “seen an increase in sales compared to previous months”. It decided to participate in the GSS for the first time due to challenges from the pandemic.

“Although it is not huge traffic (from the GoSpree platform), at least it has allowed for brand awareness,” it said in an emailed reply.

Local leather atelier Hides and Thread – another first-time participant of the GSS – said sales have increased by about 10 per cent.

“It is not much of an increase but we weren’t expecting one as our main objective to join the eGSS was to build brand awareness given how we are still relatively new to the retail scene,” according to its founder Jonathan Tan.

Skin Inc expected “a slowdown” this year but said it signed up for the eGSS partly to show support for the home-grown event.

“We do see some sales but it’s not as impactful as the previous GSS because of the economic situation. GSS has also been very focused on physical retail so this is a new experience (for consumers) who already have many other online sales festivals to buy from,” said its global brand manager Wang Yi Fan.

ASA said it saw “very mixed” results from its 14 members which took part in the eGSS this year. 

The Singapore Flyer and Resorts World Sentosa were among the best-performing attractions in terms of downloads and redemptions of their discount coupons, said its chairman Kevin Cheong.

When contacted, a spokesperson from the Singapore Flyer said promotions for its various packages, such as the Premium Champagne Flight, were “very well-received by families and millennials”.

“We look forward to welcoming more locals at the Singapore Flyer, as well as the next GSS campaign.”

However Kiztopia, which was participating in GSS for the first time, said it “did not see any increase in sales”.

Said a spokesperson: “We would like to generate awareness and publicity for our brand, as well as to drive revenue, hence we decided to participate.

“The sales of the bundle (of four admission tickets at a discount of S$99) mainly came from our own database and we promoted it on our social media platforms, and not from the eGSS platform.”

Promotion fatigue, and Singaporeans waiting for more information about how to redeem their SingapoRediscovers vouchers from December could be reasons for this “very mixed” response, said Dr Cheong.

“Since the reopening, attractions on their own have been giving out discounts to lure visitors … there are too many promotions floating around,” he explained. “Also, people are waiting to redeem their SingapoRediscovers vouchers which gives them more reasons to put aside the decision making for now.”

WATCH: Local attractions to take part in upcoming Great Singapore Sale

AREAS TO IMPROVE ON

While the move online is a logical step to take considering the coronavirus restrictions, it takes the annual sale event, which in recent years have come under siege from the rise of e-commerce, right into the home-ground of its toughest competitors.

Experts and participating brands said more could have been done to publicise the eGSS this year, in the face of the stiff competition.

Some consumers like Ms Jess Lim agreed: “I did not know there was a GSS going on.”

Citing her familiarity with other e-marketplaces which have regular sales, she added: “Even if I miss this (eGSS), I know there’s another sale on Oct 10, Singles’ Day and Black Friday on the other platforms.”

More aggressive marketing efforts could include “a stronger push” on social media, or higher visibility of the annual event at public spaces or on traditional media platforms, said Mr Tan from Temasek Polytechnic.

When asked, SRA said it was “constrained by budget” and its team was already working against time to get the event up and running.

The business association had said in May that it would not be organising the GSS this year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but reversed the decision in late June due to “popular demand” from retailers.

“We would have appreciated a longer lead time as we had less than 2 months to prepare when we launched in September,” said Ms Tong.

Ms Lim from Singapore Polytechnic suggested some improvements be made to make GoSpree “more integrated” so as to enhance shoppers’ experience.

Citing how individuals need to download coupons from GoSpree before using them for purchases at a later date, she added: “Perhaps in time to come, as part of incremental development, the website can provide visitors with a more integrated experience.

“Usually, we see drop-out rate at every phase of the customer journey whenever visitors are directed to another interface, especially when they are required to create an account.”

SRA could also consider incorporating location-based services and search functionality to its platform.

While the GoSpree platform allows users to search by categories, one will have to scroll through a long list to find deals. Most people would be more interested in deals within their vicinity, said Ms Lim.

She added that this was “an opportune time” for SRA to try out something new.

“This could also provide an opportunity for the organisers to test out responses from this year’s e-GSS, consider incremental developments and preparing shoppers for next year’s e-GSS.”

THE NEXT GSS

Asked about how the GSS might be like next year or in the longer term, Ms Tong replied that it will likely be a hybrid concept with both online and offline elements.

“Online retail helps in terms of outreach and marketing but it can never overtake or replace an offline business,” she said.

“So I think brick-and-mortar is here to stay. People still need their retail therapy and they’ll want to do more than just swiping their fingers.”

Retail experts like Mr Tan suggested that the GoSpree platform should be promoted more regularly.

“For GoSpree to serve as an effective marketplace which attracts buyers, one must be more sustaining in terms of its monthly offerings,” he said.

“Even if they are not fully accepted, recognised and perceived by local shoppers as an attractive e-buying shopping destination, this market platform cannot be seen as a short-term one.”

READ: About 3,600 opportunities in retail sector offered under SGUnited Jobs and Skills programme: MOM

Dr Cheong from ASA said being part of the eGSS has been an interesting experience for attraction operators – many of whom are still at the initial phase of going digital. Operators will also have to start thinking hard about how to tweak their offerings in order to attract the local crowd.

“Nobody would go on a platform with just attractions so working together with the various industries is the way to go,” he said.

“But on our part, we have to think through our resident market strategies as having sale after sale is clearly not going to work. We need to plan and give locals reasons to keep visiting us.”

As for retailers, the GSS must be more than a price-slashing event.

Ms Chang from Yumi Active cited the Fashion LookBook launched as part of the eGSS this year, where local fashion labels and heritage sites were given the spotlight.

“This concept is refreshing. If there are more concepts like these that tell stories about a retailer or an attraction and that is more than just discounts, then my answer (to whether my brand will join GSS again) is yes,” she said.

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SINGAPORE: It is past time to raise the wages of Singapore’s low-wage workers and the productivity of the labour-intensive sectors where they toil.

The Progressive Wage Model (PWM), through which the Government has chosen to do this, has so far proved too little, too late.

First introduced eight years ago, PWM covers only three sectors — cleaning, security and landscaping, which combined account for 15 per cent of low-wage workers, defined as the bottom 20 percent of income earners. 

LIMITS OF A LIMITED PWM

One likely reason for the slow and incomplete implementation of PWM is its complex structure, requiring tripartite consultation and negotiation.

As a result, while wages of workers in low-wage sectors have risen in the last few years, their absolute and relative wages continue to be significantly lower here than in other rich countries, even those with lower per capita incomes and lower rates of GDP growth. 

For example, Lien Foundation’s 2018 Long-Term Care Manpower Study noted that nursing aides and healthcare assistants in Singapore earned the lowest among peer economies of Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea. In 2013, average earnings in accommodation and food services in Singapore were less than half of those in the Netherlands and just a quarter of those in Sweden and Denmark.

READ: IN FOCUS: The wage debate – how to lift the salaries of those earning the least?

READ: PAP MPs call for faster roll-out of progressive wage model, higher workfare payouts for essential workers

More generally, low-pay incidence, defined as two-thirds of the median wage, is estimated to be almost twice as high in Singapore as in all OECD economies, at 30 per cent in 2017.

Extension of the PWM to more sectors recently announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat is welcome but lacks a timeline and other concrete details. The taskforce to look into ways to improve the pay of low-income workers should act swiftly so that low-income pay can catch up with professional salaries.

Since 2012, when PWM was first introduced, the average annual increase in salaries of the three lowest-paid occupational categories of service and sales workers, plant and machine operators, and cleaners, labourers and related workers, was 3.4 per cent.

This trails the 3.9 percent average annual wage growth of the highest earning occupational categories of managers and administrators, working proprietors, professionals, and associate professionals and technicians.

READ: Income growth slows in Singapore; median salary now above S$4,500: MOM report

AN EXPANDED PWM AND RESTRUCTURING FOR HIGHER WAGES

After cleaning, security and landscaping, which PWM covers, the next lowest wages are found in labour-intensive and foreign-labour-dependent sectors such as retail, F&B and non-therapeutic health and personal care. These jobs are mostly in the service and sales occupation group, which faced the lowest wage growth in the past decade.

Yet, jobs in these sectors provide essential services which have social value, as pointed out by economist and former Nominated Member of Parliament Walter Theseira, and low pay could undermine Singapore’s resilience to economic shocks and cycles.   

These service sector jobs also have the greatest potential for upskilling, technology application and other productivity improvements commonplace in advanced economies. 

With COVID-19, they may shrink the most as consumer habits change, for example to online shopping, food delivery and home entertainment, as people eat and work more at home.

The Government’s plan to expand PWM is therefore timely, and should be enacted sooner rather than later, with the broadest sectoral coverage. As DPM Heng notes, “COVID-19 has highlighted why it is critical, for long-term survival, for firms to be more manpower-lean, productive, and have jobs that are attractive to our locals”.

LISTEN: Raising wages of Singapore’s poorest earners: A hard look at the Progressive Wage Model

READ: Universal minimum wage of S$1,300 could be considered ‘parallel’ to ‘minimum wage plus’ approach: Pritam Singh

To facilitate this process while ensuring that citizens’ livelihoods are protected as much as possible from pandemic disruption, other rich countries find directly subsidising individuals, where households benefit immediately, is more efficient and effective than subsidising businesses.

This also mitigates the risk of businesses becoming “zombie companies”, unable to survive without subsidies yet hanging on to scarce manpower more productively deployed elsewhere or in new sectors that emerge or expand in post-pandemic structural transformation.

This restructuring will weed out weaker businesses, especially those unable or unwilling to invest in raising productivity, allowing workers to relocate to more productive and hence higher-wage enterprises. Labour becomes a smaller share of total production costs, as expected in an affluent, capital-rich but labour-scarce advanced economy.

The PWM has so far been implemented alongside wage credits to firms and other support to help companies transform. 

Research by one of us found that the PWM did compel productivity enhancement in the organisations studied, with one manager sharing that until it was legislated, companies continued to pay low wages despite years of government exhortation to train staff and raise wages. 

Thus, the PWM can spur the process of transformation, without waiting until other processes are ready. Its expansion has become urgent given the continued lag in low-skilled wages and the necessity and opportunity that COVID-19 provides to reassess business structures and societal priorities.

Some targeted business subsidies will be required to help viable businesses survive the recession. Here the intent should be to preserve a vibrant pool of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and avoid the decimation of small businesses caused by skewed incentives.

In the US, the pandemic has fueled industry concentration, as larger businesses command the lion’s share of government subsidies. 

This has caused concern as SMEs, which include start-ups, are the major source of employment and innovation, as well as an important channel of upward mobility, and preserver of market competition. 

In Singapore, 90 per cent of firms are SMEs employing 70 per cent of the workforce. They provide the added benefit of ensuring that indigenous capabilities and jobs are retained even if global businesses relocate due to their own shifting internal corporate priorities.

READ: Commentary: More bold measures needed to protect against the job losses heading Singapore’s way

READ: Commentary: Were you fired or retrenched? Your employer may not tell you the difference

MAKING PWM WORK: COMPLEMENTARY POLICIES

Structural transformation should ultimately benefit the people employed in companies. For PWM to work as intended, complementary policies are also required, chiefly a reduction in the supply of low-wage foreign labour, a continuation of wage and income subsidies such as Workfare Income Supplement, expanded social protections for the elderly and stronger protection of work conditions. 

These have been gradually strengthened in the past few years, and are all the more crucial with COVID-19 potentially leading to deterioration of wages and job conditions.

Foreign worker policy, for one, must continue to reduce reliance on migrant workers, since a main reason for Singapore’s underperformance in raising productivity and wages for low-income workers is “cheap sourcing”, or the ease with which businesses can import large numbers of temporary workers from labour-abundant low-income countries,

Since PWM applies only to Singaporeans and permanent residents, it may have the perverse impact of increasing employers’ preference for hiring foreign workers, especially since they can be selected for age, skill, physical strength, endurance and other personal qualities that can yield higher productivity at a lower wage than elderly Singaporeans in the same labour pool who will now cost more.

Thus twinning PWM with reduced foreign worker quotas is essential. The current dependency ratio ceilings of 38 per cent in services (falling to 35 per cent in January 2021), 60 per cent in manufacturing, and higher in other sectors such as construction and processes, need to be decreased.

At the same time, the strengthening of social protection through programmes such as Silver Support will cushion any displacement effects on elderly workers. Low-income elderly whose lifetime wages have been depressed should be supported by society, and not forced to work for survival under poor conditions.

Strengthening and enforcing employment protections must also accompany the expansion of PWM. If not, businesses might seek to meet the mandate by cutting labour costs through other means. 

For example, as research by one of us shows, they might cut benefits or increase the hours required for a PWM monthly wage, so that hourly labour costs remain low even as monthly wages increase.  They can also change staff to contract, self-employed, part-time or casual status.

READ: Commentary: A minimum wage isn’t the answer to inequality

READ: Commentary: Is low growth the new normal for Singapore?

Overall, for PWM to be effective in raising wages and productivity, while minimising distortionary labour market effects, it should be rolled out more quickly, across more, if not all, sectors, and enforcement tightened to ensure that employers are indeed investing in productivity-enhancing measures.

Extension to cover foreign as well as Singaporean workers is economically desirable, but probably politically unlikely.

The more successful PWM and reduced foreign labour are in raising productivity and market wages, the fewer the subsidies (including for housing, healthcare and retirement support) the Government  and taxpayers will have to shell out through fiscal transfers to shore up the living standards of the poor. 

ADDRESSING CONCERNS OVER INFLATION

Higher wages need not translate into higher consumer prices, especially with technology application and improved management, if productivity increases as PWM intends and there are wage floors.

Wages, especially of low-wage workers, are only one, usually minor, component of total costs, which also include rents, profits and taxes.

Commercial rental costs make up the lion’s share of costs for many companies in Singapore. Their fall due to COVID-19 should partly offset rising wage costs, as would lower profit margins as business competition intensifies in the post-pandemic era.

The Government can act to dampen any consumer price increase by reducing or delaying tax increases like GST, or handing out aid to low-income families through the U-Save vouchers.

It can also introduce competition policy and fair trading or consumer protection rules to prevent businesses with large market shares from exercising monopolistic pricing power — a key reason for high prices.

PWM wage rates are still below those in other high-income global cities for similar jobs, so increases should be affordable for the 75 to 80 per cent of consumers who are not low-income, while enabling the lowest-income 20 to 25 per cent to better maintain basic consumption standards. Any consumer price inflation would be a fraction of the wage increase, as studies in the US on raising minimum wages have shown.

With our per capita income level among the world’s richest people, Singaporeans should be able and willing to pay the prices that global companies and their international employees based here are accustomed to elsewhere, where minimum wages much higher than our PWM levels exist. 

The lifestyles of the more fortunate among us should not be subsidised by the low wages of other compatriots.

And as an advanced economy, we should compete on the basis of productivity and innovation, not low labour costs that impoverish our fellow citizens.

Linda Lim is Professor Emerita of Corporate Strategy and International Business at the Stephen M Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Irene YH Ng is Associate Professor of Social Work and Director of the Social Service Research Centre at the National University of Singapore.

SINGAPORE: The importance of Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) premium brand can be seen through the promotional events that it sponsors to attract foreign tourists to Singapore such as the F1 Grand Prix.

This premium brand perception is formed in the minds of SIA’s passengers through the safe track-record of the airline, interior cabin of its aircrafts, the uniforms of its crew, menu selection, meal service, in-flight entertainment, in-flight announcement and the overall quality of service.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately hampered the opportunities passengers may have to enjoy some SIA’s world-class offerings since air travel has been mostly disrupted and, more recently, limited to business travel.

Against this backdrop, SIA recently attempted to bring selective offerings from the airlines to passengers even though they can’t travel at present.  

DINING IN STYLE

Three initiatives it launched in this regard were the opportunity to have lunch on-board an Airbus A-380 jumbo jet (Restaurant A380@Changi), home deliveries of meals from its first class and business class menus as well as a tour of SIA’s training facilities.

Some of these were met with mixed reactions, especially the prices of its on-board and home-delivered meal options.

READ: Commentary: We must save Singapore Airlines from this existential crisis

For example, the airline offered exclusive first class meals for home deliveries at S$498. This was criticised online as being elitist and disconnected with the “realities on the ground”, especially during these hard times where employment and income loss is common.

From SIA’s perspective, these in-flight and delivered meals are a critical component of the airline’s marketing strategy targeted at the premium air travel passenger market. The strategy keeps SIA’s image as a premium airline alive in the public mind when the skies are almost out of bounds.

The strategy seemed to work as all of its 900 seats that were available for the Restaurant A380@Changi were sold out within 30 minutes after bookings opened on Monday (Oct 12).

HOLDING PREMIUM TO ITS CORE

This highlights why the premium segment of air travellers is important to full-service airlines like SIA. Efforts to cultivate this market are crucial especially during the pandemic with border closures and flight reductions.

So efforts such as the Restaurant A380@Changi to help brand loyalty and retention are important for SIA as this is a market and identity it cannot lose sight of.   

For SIA, even the emergence of low-cost carriers (LCCs) over the years did not compel it to dilute the premium SIA brand to compete with this new competition, such as several other full-service carriers (FSCs) did.

North American FSCs, such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, began unbundling ancillary services on their flights to charge segmented fares beyond seat charges as a strategy to compete with LCCs.

This strategy also created ancillary revenue streams generated for items such as baggage fees, extra legroom products as well as food and beverage.

READ: Commentary: The outlook for Singapore Airlines has gone from bad to worse

Other FSCs such as British Airways, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and Alitalia have offered Hand Baggage Only (HBO) fares on their North Atlantic Routes. 

Instead, SIA chose to start another brand called Scoot to deal with LCCs while preventing the cannibalisation of SIA’s premium branding.

HOLDING ON TO PREMIUM BRANDING

The importance of premium passengers to SIA is further seen during the current recession as employers and companies tighten up on business travel, which is shrinking the premium passenger market for airlines.  

“With the proliferation of Zoom meetings and most corporate employees working remotely, business travel in particular has been sharply curtailed in 2020,” a recent report by Investopedia stated, quoting a study by Trondent Development Corporation.

The same report reveals that although business travellers account for 12 per cent of airline passengers they usually provide double the amount of profitability with their contribution to revenues as high as 75 per cent for some flights.

In line with these trends, most FSCs are likely to enhance their business and premium economy classes, perhaps even cutting back on its first class offerings, and enable them to be more widely available to bridge the gap between business and economy travel.

READ: Commentary: This is the end of business conferences as we know it

READ: Commentary: Flights to nowhere raise bigger questions about Singapore Airlines’ future

To evolve with changing market demands, SIA has reduced its first class cabins to just one row of seats on its newest Boeing 777-300ERs aircraft and allocated more resources to developing seating capacity for the business class market segment.

AHEAD OF THE PACK

While some airlines chose to compromise on their premium branding, SIA is unlikely to waver from this strategy although it is relatively high-cost and requires significant investment, careful management and detailed implementation of programmes.

Since commencing operations in 1972, SIA has been able to successfully create and project a premium brand identity.

Its strategy has been based on innovation, using cutting-edge technology, genuine quality and excellent customer service as it pioneered services like meal options, free alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, complementary headphones, scented hot towels, personal entertainment systems, and video-on-demand in all of its flight cabins.

SIA further differentiates its brand experience through various in-flight perks such as Book the Cook, in which premium passengers can choose their favourite gourmet main course from a selection of dishes prepared by the airline’s International Culinary Panel before their flight.

In addition, SIA’s menus are also specially created to reflect the culinary influences of the regions it flies to. Other premium perks included the availability of certified Air Sommeliers to advise passengers on the art of food and wine pairing.  

ALLURE OF PREMIUM TRAVEL

SIA also reinforces its premium branding by a strong frequent flyer component.

The first class market segment has a strong frequent flyer component for some airlines like SIA, and the first class allure is utilised by SIA as an opportunity to upgrade from business class.

READ: Commentary: Our flights of fancy have stopped but were they all that romantic anyway?

As part of its marketing strategy as well as to retain customer loyalty and reduce attrition, SIA leverages on this aspirational aspect of premium travel because its frequent flyers can use the miles to access long-haul premium cabin award seats.

SIA also makes extensive use of a “wait list” where passengers express their interest in an upgrade in travel class and the airline can selectively approve individual passengers’ request, irrespective of the wait list order.

This balances revenue management with a measure of how valuable the passenger. The airline decides who should be rewarded.

It is unlikely that SIA is out of touch or disconnected from its targeted premium market as an airline company. SIA started as a fully-branded product that focused on the premium travel market and continues this business model until today.

A PROFIT-MAKING ENTITY BEFORE ANYTHING

Although many would consider it the national airline because it is majority-owned by Temasek Holdings, its basic premise has to be a self-sustaining and revenue generating entity for its shareholders. The premium segment is where most revenues are derived from.

Its promotion of premium branding may attract criticism as it seems to favour the wealthy.

Despite the criticism, the SIA premium brand needs to be sustained and reinforced because, after COVID-19, the airline will be a vital tool that would aid the recovery of the aviation sector and maintain Singapore’s air connectivity through Changi Airport.

The Singapore aviation hub strategy requires an SIA that is able to not only maintain its premium branding but also to keep intact its core capabilities vital for the recovery of related industries and the economy as a whole.

READ: Commentary: Want to travel again? It’s not sitting in a plane you should worry about

SIA’s contribution to the nation is much more than how much it retails its in-flight food. It should be measured by how many Singaporeans’ tables it puts food on.  

Dr Faizal Yahya is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

SINGAPORE: “This char kway teow is too wet,” remarked a regular at Hong Lim Market and Food Centre, an empty red plate streaked with stains of a meal consumed resting in front of him.

Having probably just had the best meal of a trip around Singapore, I was incredulous.

“But, it’s usually like that. Their version is not bad, and tastes good. I used to come here two to three times a week,” clarified 62-year-old Mr Lee, who only wanted to be known by his last name.

“I come to this hawker centre only for this char kway teow, nothing else.”

It was easy to understand why – the noodles were the right blend of spicy, sweet and savoury. Accentuated by the crunch of the beansprouts, crispness of lard and the smoothness of the cockles, this had to be one of Singapore’s best versions of the dish.

I had tried Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee on a number of occasions in the past, and as we made a beeline up the stairs to the second floor of the food centre, I was bracing myself for a wait. 

READ: CNA explores Singapore on foot (Day 1): The lone tree and the longer-than-expected walk

After all, this char kway teow usually comes served with a 30 minute wait.

But to my utter amazement, there was nobody in line. Fried, dished, served. I scoffed down my meal in less than 15 minutes.

“I had already been patronising this stall since it was at Outram,” explained Mr Lee. “After it shifted, I couldn’t locate it for a few years. I would give it 9/10, no problem. But I can’t give it full marks, full marks would be 100 per cent!”

Who was I to argue? 

BLAST FROM THE PAST

It had been a rather uneventful walk to Hong Lim Market and Food Centre. Fresh out of the hotel, and with less than thirty minutes on the clock, we were met by the blaring horn of a car that sped by just inches away from us.

In our early morning stupor, my colleague Gaya Chandramohan and I had mistaken the flashing green man across the street for our own go-ahead to cross. Big mistake.

We were nearly clipped by a driver who was alert enough to sound the horn at two tired journalists who had clearly walked a bit too much the day before.

With that sobering incident not too far from both our thoughts, we spent the rest of the day being extra cautious at stop signs and traffic lights. Better safe than sorry.

Today’s 28km route was to begin at Harbourfront, where we’d spent the night at a hotel, and end at Expo, where we’d also put up for the night. Despite the 30km we clocked the day before, we felt surprisingly sprightly. After some stretching the night before, the nagging aches had worn off.

READ: 110km, five days, two reporters: CNA sets out to explore Singapore on foot

We weaved our way quickly through the Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar district, enjoying the brightly coloured and lovingly restored shophouses. 

There were elements of the past along the way, from an old payphone along Neil Road – we could still somehow place a call –  to Yip Yew Chong’s mural in a quiet alleyway off Smith Street, a beautiful scene packed with stunning details from Yip’s childhood.

These were legacies of different eras from those we were born in, but we appreciated them just as much.

Having ticked off Parliament House, the National Museum of Singapore and St Andrew’s Cathedral from our list of mandatory landmarks, we charged up Benjamin Sheares Bridge. 

And there, in stunning glory, was a mighty view.

Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands stood proudly across the water. These monuments to Singapore’s modernity make for an eye-catching vista, and were a sharp contrast to the historic districts we had been strolling through in the morning.

The last time I’d had this view while on foot was while I was a National Service recruit, many moons ago. It was in the middle of the night – I was in green, sweating, and marching.

Funny how life has a way of bringing one full circle.

PAIN BEFORE PLEASURE 

The toughest part of our journey on Tuesday was probably the long stretch of East Coast Park. A seemingly benign patch of green on the map, it was anything but. 

As the sun began to blaze down and cyclists began to whiz past us, we realised just why we probably the only ones foolhardy to tame the stretch.

And yet, even as the sun beat down and our legs became heavier, there were still moments of pleasure.

The sound of the gentle waves lapping on the beach, the occasional cries of delight from a toddler enjoying an afternoon playing in the sand and the occasional oasis of cool shade from the trees along the route were reminders that this is one of Singapore’s favourite playgrounds.

And on a Tuesday afternoon, free of the weekend crowds who flock to the area, it was more enjoyable and peaceful than I’m used to.

We gradually came across more signs of civilisation, but also reminders of a pandemic – benches cordoned in bright orange tape a reminder of the times we’re in.

And we pressed on, cooled down by slices of watermelon that a friend had kindly prepared as she met us halfway during the walk with her two boys.

This tided us over to our last stop before making the trek to the Expo – East Coast Lagoon Food Village. We’d heard of mouthwatering carrot cake and excellent satay from readers keen to share their foodie tips with us.

But we were there at 3pm.

We settled for cold gulps of sugarcane juice and some admittedly excellent barbecue chicken wings. An oyster omelette stall that I’d been hearing rave reviews about also happened to open its doors just as we were about to leave.

I dug in. It was no 9/10 char kway teow and but it would have to do. 

After all as we’ve been finding out every day along this trek, you win some, you lose some.

SINGAPORE: Doctors at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) have successfully treated a COVID-19 patient who developed a blood clot in the aorta and was at risk of losing his toes or leg. The medical team later became the first in the world to publish research on the topic. 

The patient, a 39-year-old Bangladeshi worker who was hospitalised in May, was “a bit of an unusual case”, with a blood clot in his thoracoabdominal aorta, said TTSH head of general surgery Adjunct Assistant Professor Glenn Tan on Tuesday (Oct 13).

The thoracoabdominal aorta extends from the chest to the abdomen and is part of the aorta, which is the biggest artery in the body. 

Developing a blood clot in the aorta is unusual because the blood flow in the aorta is typically very high as it comes straight from the heart, said Dr Tan, who was the presiding surgeon. 

Time was of the essence in treating the patient because the blood clot could move to other organs or to his legs, causing further complications. He could even lose his toes or leg from gangrene – which means he would be unable to continue working as a delivery driver in Singapore. 

Opening up his chest to directly remove the clot from the aorta meant that everyone involved in the surgery would be exposed to COVID-19. This is partly why the team opted for a less invasive procedure, said Dr Tan. 

In a two-hour operation on May 8, the doctors inserted an aortic stent into the aorta to trap the blood clot against the wall of the blood vessel and prevent it from travelling, he added. They then removed the blood clots from the patient’s leg to restore blood flow there. 

The doctors later published a paper in the British Journal of Surgery, the first publication in Asia involving the treatment of arterial blood clots in COVID-19 patients. It is also the first publication in the world to describe blood clots in the aorta in COVID-19 patients. 

FINDING THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM

The patient, Mr Ullah Kefayet, tested positive for COVID-19 in May after coming down with a fever and experiencing breathlessness. Two or three days after he was warded, he felt pain in his right foot and his toes had turned black. 

Since it was “very unusual” for young people to have gangrene in the legs if they have no other underlying medical conditions, the doctors decided to conduct a CT scan to find out what might have caused it. 

The scan found a blood clot in the aorta, and parts of the clot had also broken off and moved to his right leg, spleen and kidneys, said Dr Tan. Aside from gangrene, this put the patient at risk of kidney failure or blood clots in the gastrointestinal tract. 

“So it was quite concerning for a very young gentleman who couldn’t walk. And he felt, how is he going to improve and go back to work again? And not only that, at this moment his life was at risk, and he’s also at risk of losing his toes and possibly his leg,” he added.

Timeline: No new COVID-19 case in Singapore’s dormitories for the first time in more than 6 months

One month after the surgery, the gangrene patches on Mr Ullah’s toes started to disappear, and he started walking on his own. Three months after the surgery, all the black spots had disappeared. 

He finally returned to work as a parcel delivery driver three weeks ago. 

Speaking to reporters on a video call, Mr Ullah said that his family thought he had died because he did not contact them for a few days while he was in the intensive care unit after surgery. 

Adding that he was initially worried for his health when he tested positive for COVID-19, Mr Ullah, who has worked in Singapore for 14 years, said he was relieved to recover the use of his right leg.

PREPARING FOR SURGERY AMID COVID-19

Although the stent procedure is conducted often, preparations by the team at TTSH and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases helped to get the logistics for the operation set up quickly amid COVID-19 restrictions, said Adjunct Associate Professor Pua Uei, senior consultant in diagnostic radiology. 

“And we’ve been preparing this for a long time. So this actually helped us to really push him to surgery in a very safe and a very timely fashion,” he added. 

Adding that it is “very challenging” to operate on patients amid the pandemic, especially those who are COVID-19 positive, Dr Tan noted that everyone involved in the surgery had to wear N95 masks, which are more uncomfortable than what they are used to. 

“It is a very challenging environment to operate in. But we’ve been preparing this for a while, so we’re not new to the scenario,” he added. 

READ: COVID-19 case dies from blood clot in lung artery more than 2 weeks after recovery, discharge: MOH

Blood clots have caused complications in other COVID-19 patients. In June, a 41-year-old man died from a blood clot in an artery in his lungs, two weeks after he recovered from the virus and was discharged.  

In May, the Ministry of Health issued an advisory to all doctors to be “watchful” for possible cardiovascular issues in COVID-19 patients. 

Noting that about one in 1,000 COVID-19 cases in Singapore experienced “cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and blood clots”, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said doctors should take extra precautions. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck, most doctors thought it was “just a respiratory illness”, said Dr Tan.

“But as we went on, we found that it caused more problems. It caused problems in clotting and not just in the arteries, but in the veins as well. Not just in the legs, there were also clots in the heart, some people had risks of heart attacks, clots in the brain that can cause strokes,” he added. 

“I think we have been fortunate because most of our patients have been in the younger age group and less severely unwell,” said Dr Tan, when asked how common blood clots are in COVID-19 patients. 

According to the surgeon, it has been found that these patients develop antibodies that cause their blood to become “sticky”. Some of them also see inflammation in the blood vessel wall, causing a predisposition to blood clots. 

“But until now we are still not very clear about … how it happens. We still don’t know, we are still unclear about this. At the moment most parts of Europe and America have reported this, we still have only theories but no confirmed definite cause of it.” 

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