Being one of the most important festivals in the Singapore calendar, the Chinese New Year is one occasion that Singaporeans take very seriously.
In fact, the emphasis Singaporeans place on honouring the traditions of Chinese New Year even surpasses other markets with similar populations of ethnic Chinese.
According to insights from search giant Google, the search volume of CNY-related queries in Singapore last year is twice that of Malaysia’s. It is also 40 per cent more than Hong Kong, whose population is made up of 92 per cent Chinese.
In fact, Singaporeans love Chinese New Year even more than Christmas and are spending 2.5 times more than the popular 11.11 Global Shopping Festival.
A festival steeped in tradition with precious moments that bring families and friends together, Chinese New Year surpasses Christmas as the most searched festive moment in Singapore.
Two thirds of Singaporeans turned to Google and YouTube as early as six weeks before the occasion to draw inspiration and make plans in advance.
The number of searches has also increased 27 per cent year-on-year. More digitally-savvy Singaporeans are going online for ideas and inspiration such as reunion dinner recipes, or fashion inspiration for visitations.
Apart from finding things to buy on Search, Singaporeans are increasingly looking to YouTube to find CNY content.
Watchtime for prime Chinese-language content grew by 91% year-on-year. To date, the platform has more than 104 million minutes of CNY content offering a plethora of videos including festive songs, skits, and tutorials.
Google noted that brands are leveraging this trend by creating videos that capture the spirit of togetherness, and tutorials which introduce new products and recipes. Some of the top feel good videos from 2019 include Singtel’s poignant short film, titled “From Ma, With Love”, or Yeo’s CNY’s video. NTUC Fairprice also invited Chef Eric to teach a unique dish for customers and the audience to try their hands at during the festive season.
“Singaporeans care deeply about Chinese New Year," said Melissa Lee, Sector Lead for Finance, Government and Retail, Google Singapore.
"As consumers spend more time searching and watching videos online, free tools such as Google My Business, Google Trends and YouTube can help businesses and SMEs better anticipate what matters to their customers during the busy festive season.”
