Exploring innovation and retail excellence in Singapore

Kelly McGufficke, Portfolio Manager, Campaigns at QIC Real Estate, shares insights from a recent professional development trip to Singapore, awarded through the Sabina Rust Memorial Prize for Campaign of the Year. As part of a delegation attending the 2025 MarTech Summit, she explores emerging trends in marketing technology, retail innovation, and customer engagement – offering valuable takeaways for industry leaders navigating an increasingly experience-driven landscape.

Singapore may be best known for impeccably clean streets and impressively high infinity pools, but as a source of destination inspiration, it outdid itself. In April, I had the privilege of travelling to Singapore alongside three of my QIC Real Estate colleagues, Tiffany Ellul, Jacinta Bonsak and Ashlee Hume, thanks to the Sabina Rust Memorial Prize for Campaign of the Year. The award recognised It’s Not Rocket Science, a campaign we developed to bring a unique, interactive experience to shopping centres across Australia.

With the support of QIC and the Shopping Centre Council of Australia, we attended the 2025 MarTech Summit in Singapore.

The summit brought together an inspiring mix of speakers and offered the chance to connect with industry leaders from global brands including Brandwatch, Adobe, Audi, The Hershey Company and Mondelz International. The program explored some of the latest trends shaping the marketing technology space, with sessions focused on customer experience, data and analytics, sales enablement, and demand generation.

Here are 10 key takeaways we brought home from the event:

1. How to win in the digital age? Fewer, Better, Bigger! Less is more, elevate experiences by adding the right benefits and align with key partners.
2. Personalisation drives long-term loyalty – It’s not just about short-term engagement; personalisation can create lasting impact.
3. Brands are blending physical and digital touchpoints – The goal is a seamless, personalised customer journey that spans both worlds.
4. Authenticity is key – Consumers are gravitating towards real, community-driven content over polished, commercial campaigns.
5. AI as a creative assistant – AI is helping brands scale their voice, but it’s most powerful as a tool to enhance – not replace – human creativity.
6. Micro-influencers are becoming more impactful – These voices build stronger trust within niche communities compared to mega-celebrities.
7. Purpose-driven partnerships matter – Collaborations grounded in shared values are cutting through the noise.
8. Omni-channel approach is essential – CRM strategies need to be responsive to impulse-driven moments and span multiple platforms.
9. User-generated content wins – Authentic content consistently outperforms traditional advertising formats.
10. Clean, shared data is crucial – Earning trust is everything – data should be willingly shared in exchange for real value.

Beyond the summit, we also had the opportunity to explore some of Singapore’s most iconic destinations. Orchard Road was a standout, bustling with everything from luxury boutiques to niche streetwear brands.

A highlight? Spotting professional dog walkers parading some of the most stylish, well-trained pups we’ve ever seen – a moment that somehow perfectly captured Singapore’s fashion-forward energy.

We also visited The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, home to some of the world’s most prestigious luxury brands. The centre itself is visually stunning, but what really stood out was the Venetian-style canal that winds through the middle of the precinct. While we didn’t take a Sampan ride, watching guests sail through the mall beneath the glass atrium made for a magical retail moment.

Among the standout brand executions was Nike’s multilevel flagship, which combined retail theatre with digital integration. We explored Nike By You for customised sneakers and apparel, and tested the Nike Fit technology for personalised shoe recommendations. And yes, we managed to purchase Singapore-exclusive Air Jordans.

We also came across novelty vending machines and pop-ups at every turn, Pokémon merch machines, juice dispensers, instant photo printers, and entire stores devoted to claw games. It was retail with personality, designed for discovery.

And then there was the food.

From sipping the iconic Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel, to a humble hawker hall meal in Chinatown, we sampled it all. A personal favourite was lunch at The Noodle Man, where the owner Mr Wong himself presented a banquet of handmade noodles and his signature lemon tea. Din Tai Fung delivered dumplings via friendly robots, and the hawker stalls offered flavour and character around every corner.

To cap off the trip, we spent a day at Universal Studios Singapore, where the magic of movies came to life, and gave us a final reminder of how good storytelling and immersive environments can make a lasting impression.

This journey to Singapore was an incredible blend of professional development and personal discovery. We are incredibly grateful to the Shopping Centre Council of Australia for giving us the chance to grow, learn, and be inspired, not only by the MarTech Summit, but by the culture, innovation and creativity that Singapore delivers at every turn.

This article by Kelly McGufficke is featured in the latest edition of SCN magazine. Premium members can view the digital magazine here.