Singapore — a great island gateway and with The Great Singapore Sale (GSS) going on, we decided to list out some apps you might want to download on your Android device before you took a plunge in this shopping paradise!
The GSS represents one of the greatest shopping experience for the shopaholic within everyone of us. It includes right from retail goods to electronics and more, with almost every imaginable consumable finding its price significantly marked down. Starting from 3rd June and ending on the 14th of August these 2 months are akin to the longest Black Friday ever! With prices dropping up to 90% on many items, its crazy fun, but it can prove to be a challenge to navigate through all the discounts and find what you want and need. To help you out with that little troublesome bit, there are some apps we suggest you download before you head down to celebrate the GSS — a 2 month shop till you can drop event. Before you do that though, head down to The Great Singapore Sale website to have a look at some of the hotel and accommodation packages available as well as to get a overview of the entire shopping bonanza.
Accommodation
For finding accommodation in Singapore, there is always the option of checking the website mentioned above and finding hotel deals as mentioned above, however, for cheaper alternatives, you can try downloading both Airbnb | Couchsurfing apps from the Play Store. Not only does this give you the option of much affordable accommodation, but by having you paired with a local host, you are given an immersive cultural experience that no amount of cash at the Sheraton can afford you. Download: Airbnb and Couchsurfing
Transport
When it comes to transport, the situation is a bit easier. Given the size of the country and the excellent road and rail network set-up by the incumbent government, there is no need to rent a car. For most of your transport needs, public busses and trains shall suffice, though you might want to take a taxi by the end of your shopping day. The tricky part is not the navigation through the MRT’s or busses, but selecting how you wish to find a taxi, due to the overwhelming number of apps that are designed around the same. You can start off by downloading the My Transport Singapore app which would then give you an overview of the transport industry in Singapore, while allowing you to book taxis, check the train map and much more. Though most of the functions have to do with issues locals face day to day, it has options that are just as useful to a tourist. There is obviously the option of using Uber or Grab (Singapore’s own Uber like app but also has an option for taxis). These taxi apps would be better than using the apps by the individual taxi companies as on a single platform, you are able to connect with all taxi drivers, making it easier to find transport. In the Grab app, under the option of Grab(Economy) one is able to set a fixed fare for the journey and can thus prevent drivers from touting or taking one on a ‘sightseeing’ journey. For those who prefer the local approach, there is always SBS Transit iris, an app designed for bus services and timings. Relying on Singapore’s excellent public transport system, and the fact that busses here are tracked using GPS, this app allows one to key in a bus-stop’s unique identity number and by doing so it can give you estimated waiting times for busses that ply that route. The unique identification number for a bus-stop can be found on the pole with the bus numbers on it. Download: My Transport Singapore, Uber, Grab and SBS Transit iris
Food
Eating Out
Singapore is primarily known as a shopping paradise, but it is also known for its culinary options. With plenty of cuisines and cross-cuisines due to the melting-pot society, means that you will never have to eat the same meal twice – unless you really want to. For finding the best eats around your location, you can use either by HungryGoWhere, eatigo or Chope. For HungryGoWhere and Chope they have tie-ins with restaurants to give you special offers for bookings and dining. Both these apps also have a point system based on the bookings that allows you to redeem them at a later stage for special offers and discount vouchers. The eatigo app works differently, in that it offers discounts for bookings based on the timing, thus helping restaurants stay filled during the quite hours, while diners can look forwards to discounts of up to 50% regularly. A special mention goes out to the app — SoShiok, which specialises in reviews and food guides. Operated by the local press holding company, this app is chock-a-bloc full of insights by some of the toughest critics and does a marvellous job at helping you select your next meal. It ties in with Chope and you can book via the same right from this app itself. Download: HungryGoWhere, eatigo, Chope and SoShiok
Eating In
As for food delivery, avoid Food Panda in Singapore as far as possible, there are plenty of negative reviews for the same and you would not exactly want a bad experience during your holiday. Instead, opt for either UberEATS or Deliveroo which have been given a lot of positive feedback. UberEATS though is a relatively new app and as such has yet to expand the number of restaurants it supports, on the other hand, Deliveroo has been established for a considerable time and has a laundry list of places one can order in from. Download: UberEATS and Deliveroo
Liquid Diet
For your wild nights out and to drink to your hearts content, you should try Happy Go Wild, which gives a list of pubs and bars, and includes a countdown timer to when the happy hour starts at your selected location. Now there is no way you can miss your pint of beer, as cold as your ex’s heart, while in hot and humid Singapore. Download: Happy Go Wild
Sh..sh..sh..shopping!
For your main activity, when hitting the streets of Orchard Road are not enough, there is always the option to rely on your device. But before you do that and log into some online shopping app, you might just want to try out SG Malls. This app is designed to bring you information on shopping centres, their operating timing and their accessibility to a MRT station. The app also allows one to check if the said mall has a theatre in it if you want to catch a show in your downtime, or if husbands and boyfriends need a place to escape to from the shopping madness. Next, you might want to try the trio of online shopping apps — Zalora, Carousell and Shopee SG. While Zalora is nothing more than an online retail app, it gives you access to local and regional brands and designers who do not have retail outlets. So if you are looking to have that unique piece that isn’t mass marketed, this is the way to go. Carousell and Shopee SG will connect you to individuals who are selling products directly at a huge discount. While Carousell consists of a lot of secondhand products, something that might kill the entire shopping buzz, it does also have the occasional gem you can find — just needs a lot of dedication. Shopee SG though, has both retailers as well as direct sellers, however the number of retail outlets that have listings here is far greater; It also has some retailers that do free delivery, so you can shop on your phone while shopping (shop-ception anybody?) and have stuff delivered to your hotel by the time you are back! A special mention here would be the app malltigo — mall that I go, and what this app basically does is give you a list of discounts and sales that are happening from mall to mall. Similar to SG Malls, but due to its lack of adaptation and the fact that it is still relatively new an app, it has lots of room for improvement and is a work in progress, however, it is improving and it does what it can to fulfil your needs. Download: SG Malls, Zalora, Carousell, Shopee SG and malltigo
Attractions and Self-Guided Activities
To do the more traditional tourist activities and indulge in everything else about Singapore that is devoid of shopping and eating, you might just want to download Pangea Guides Singapore. It is the one stop shop in giving tourists information about parks, nature reserves, monuments, museums and more. It also has access to emergency numbers, currency conversion rates and helps set reminders for the activities you planned to do. Overall a very robust app that uses a very simple interface with nice big buttons, so there is no way you can go wrong with it. Download: Pangea Guides Singapore
Departure
Before you depart Singapore, you would need to get your tax refund, check if the flight is on time and do some last minute shopping at the airport. This can be pretty confusing especially since Changi International Airport is huge, has 3 terminals and sits on 13 square kilometres of space. Given most of the space is dedicated to housing aircrafts and the runway, there are still many dining and shopping options throughout the terminal — thats kinda the whole reason behind it being one of the best airports year after year. To help you navigate through all this, you might just want to download the iChangi app. Download: iChangi Well, that about sums up all the apps that you would need for your shopping experience in Singapore this upcoming GSS. If you think that there are some other apps that are worthy of a mention for the Great Singapore Sale, do let us know in the comments below, until then, Happy Shopping!
