Singapore's consumers cut back on spending in December last year, causing retail sales to fall 0.9 per cent from November.

Compared to a year ago, sales in December also registered a drop of 1.5 per cent, said the Singapore Department of Statistics.

The biggest drop in retail spending was in the area of computers and telecommunications gadgets, which saw a 12.1 per cent drop in December both in month-on-month terms and on a year-on-year basis.