Consumer culture

S’pore shoppers among S-E Asia’s top spenders on Korean goods on Lazada via its Gmarket tie-up

The Gmarket storefront on the Lazada app houses more than 800,000 products from South Korea.

Letter From Beijing

Why a visit to China’s trendy bathhouse gives more value than a hotel stay

The writer spent a day at Shui Guo in Beijing in June, lounging on beanbags while working on her laptop.

Lavish trips and celebrity contact: The rise of the Very Important Customer in luxury retail

(From left) Sherry Ang at a Dior show in Paris, Ang with Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh at Lake Como in Italy, with Dior.

Nestle to change KitKat recipe in Europe to make it crispier

US World Cup prowess boosts American passion for the beautiful game

US fans cheer their team at the World Cup on June 25.

‘Hyper goo’: The glitchy, gloppy look of now

After years of corporate millennial blanding, consumer culture is oozing into shape for a new generation.

Durian prices in Singapore drop, but sellers say unlikely to match Malaysia’s lows

Durian sellers in Singapore do not expect their prices to drop as sharply as in Malaysia.

Foreign shoppers increasingly planning South Korea trips around Olive Young sales

Foreign visitors who come to Korea two or more times a year to coincide with the Olive Young sales have grown roughly twofold annually on average since 2023.

Buy-now-pay-later for $4 bubble tea highlights Thailand’s household debt risk

The rapid spread of buy-now-pay-later installment plans — even for low-cost items like 106-baht (S$4) bubble tea - has caught the attention of Thailand’s central bank chief.

China’s pet owners splurge on pre-schools to pamper puppies

As declining birth rates alter lifestyles, pets are increasingly treated as members of the family in China.

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.