Amazon SG next to go all out for festive shopping on Black Friday with extravagant US flight tickets

People in Singapore love a good sale, and eCommerce brands are going neck to neck in getting shoppers' attention with extravagant giveaways. Following Shopee's Mercedes-Benz giveaway, during its Chinese New Year sales, and Lazada's one-bedroom condominium unit, during the recent 11.11 sales season, comes Amazon Singapore with 26 pairs of return tickets to Seattle, USA.

Amazon Singapore's spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the #FlyMeToUSA giveaway comes as a marketing push for Black Friday - its biggest sale event of the year. "To celebrate this occasion we are giving out 26 pairs of return tickets to Seattle on Premium Economy of Singapore Airlines. On top of our incredible deals, we aim to deliver greater joy to our customers with this contest that we are launching for the first time ever," the spokesperson said.

Amazon Singapore also said on its event page that Seattle was selected as the destination as it was "the city where it all began" for the company. The trip can be made anytime until 25 November 2022.

To qualify for the giveaway, shoppers have to simply purchase at least one item during Amazon's Black Friday sales, and post a throwback travel photo on their Facebook or Instagram with the hashtags #BlackFridayAmazonSG #FlyMeToUSA by 3 December 2021. Shoppers will also need to like the platform's giveaway post on Facebook or Instagram and tag one other person in the comment. Amazon Singapore will pick 26 shoppers with funniest posts as the winners.

The giveaway prize is also timely, as Rakuten Advertising's Asia Pacific publisher data from the recent Singles’ Day shopping event revealed a massive growth in travel, with year-on-year sales of 417%. Rakuten said in a statement that this signals the rise of revenge travel for the upcoming Black Friday weekend.

According to Rakuten's data from Singles’ Day, pet products, food and drink and home improvements saw a growth. However despite the rise of certain categories, consumers are more conservative in their overall spending this year. The data also said that shoppers in Asia Pacific are much more comfortable making purchases on their mobile devices compared to desktop. Looking at Q4 2020 data from Rakuten Advertising’s 2021 Peak Planning Guide, Southeast Asian consumers made significant purchases via their mobile phones. The data also recorded that loyalty and rewards drove nearly 75% of orders during peak shopping festivals last year. 

The report said that Black Friday and Cyber Weekend will see phenomena such as the rise of revenge travel, price-sensitive shoppers that frequent coupon and loyalty sites, and an increase in mobile commerce. “While trends and the necessity for specialised marketing tactics vary by region, one thing is clear that peak shopping is no longer only about sales. Understanding the changing preferences and behaviours of shoppers is just as vital as focusing on discounts during known peaks such as Singles’ Day, Black Friday and Cyber Weekend. It is important to work with a technological partner that puts your consumers’ interests first as they are the ones that understand what works best in every region,” said Stuart McLennan, senior vice-president, Asia-Pacific, Rakuten Advertising.

Additionally, Amazon Singapore will continue to run its Amazon X Shop for Good Wishlist campaign which started during its 11.11 sales, where shoppers will be able to support local non-profit organisations (NPOs) and their causes by purchasing items off their Amazon wishlist – a depository of items they need the most. The initiative currently includes NPOs such as Singapore Children’s Society, New Hope Community Services, Arc Children’s Centre, SADeaf, Willing Hearts, Beyond Social Services, The Food Bank Singapore, Singapore Red Cross, and Save Our Street Dogs.

Lazada recently got itself an extra win in media and PR coverage when the recipient of its 11.11 giveaway grand prize, a one-bedroom condominium unit at Normanton Park, was revealed to be a retired hawker. The giveaway results made headlines across most mainstream media in Singapore.  According to a statement by Lazada, Chow had only spent SG$3.41 on Aloe Vera Gel and a digital voucher for Nasi Lemak during the campaign period, but collected five golden keys while playing the Lazzie Star in-app game. The condominium unit at Normanton Park, an upcoming residential development located next to Kent Ridge Park, is valued at SG$1,000,000 and was co-sponsored by PropNex.

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