SINGAPORE – 26 MAY 2026
1. Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) launched the refreshed Retail Industry Digital Plan (IDP) today, to guide over 2,0001 SME retailers on their digital transformation efforts. The launch was announced by Ms Low Yen Ling, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth at the event Retail Reimagined – From Now to Next, organised by EnterpriseSG to bring retail ecosystem players together to shape the future of retail transformation.
2. Since its launch in 2017, the IDP has provided SME retailers with a step-by-step digital roadmap, starting with foundational tools and progressing towards more advanced solutions. The impact of digital adoption has been evident, with retailers citing reduced operating costs, increased market share, and revenue as key benefits. However, while the roadmap has been effective in driving initial adoption – with over 75% of SMEs adopting entry-level solutions and 45% intermediate ones – findings from IMDA’s 2025 annual survey for the retail sector suggested that adoption of more advanced solutions remained limited.
3. At the same time, Singapore's retail sector faces growing pressures, including rising operational costs, manpower constraints, and intensifying global e-commerce competition. As technologies mature, customer acceptance of new retail formats grows, and more proven use cases emerge, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and new retail technologies presents an opportunity for retailers to address these challenges and strengthen their competitiveness. Together, these developments made a refresh of the IDP both timely and necessary.
4. To address these evolving needs, EnterpriseSG and IMDA have worked closely with SMEs and industry partners, including the Singapore Retailers Association, Singapore Fashion Council, and Singapore Furniture Industries Council to understand the pain points and business needs that have emerged since the launch of the current IDP.
5. The refreshed IDP aims to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of Singapore's retail SMEs through two key shifts in approach:
a. IDP reorganises solutions around business touchpoints, covering the full spectrum of front-of-house, back-of-house, and corporate operations, moving away from the previous approach of segmenting solutions by stages of digital readiness. This makes it easier for retailers to identify specific pain points across their operations and find the right digital solutions to address them.
b. IDP expands its suite of solutions to include a greater emphasis on AI-powered and AI-enabled technologies across all business touchpoints. Recognising that many SMEs lack clarity on how to apply AI effectively, the refreshed IDP guides retailers in adopting these solutions – ensuring they are equipped to harness technologies that are critical to staying competitive. Key AI-enabled solutions include:
Front-of-House – Customer Experience
i. In-store or Online AI Concierge and GenAI Customer Engagement Chatbot for retailers seeking to elevate in-store and online customer engagement through personalised support and recommendations.
Back-of-House – Operations
ii. Demand Forecasting for retailers seeking to optimise inventory management and make informed business decisions through data-driven insights and predictive analytics.
Corporate Solutions
iii. GenAI Marketing & Sales Content Generation and GenAI Digital Training System for retailers looking to run their business more efficiently. These AI tools help reduce manual workload and free up staff for higher-value work. Homegrown florist Far East Flora, for instance, cut content production time by an estimated 50% after adopting a GenAI Marketing and Sales Content Generation solution.
6. To help businesses safely digitalise, a Cybersecurity and Data Protection Roadmap has also been included in the refreshed IDP, to provide practical guidance and measures for SMEs to adopt solutions to protect their systems and data. Companies can have access to cybersecurity toolkits and cybersecurity solutions such as Integrated Anti-malware, Firewall and Backup, and Secure/Protect (Firewall).
7. Beyond technology, retailers are encouraged to invest in job redesign and reskilling to ensure their workers are equipped to make the most of these tools.
8. Retailers can work with EnterpriseSG and Workforce Singapore2 to develop integrated enterprise and workforce transformation plans that maximise impact for both their business and their people.
9. Retail businesses can visit the SMEs Go Digital platform at https://smesgodigital.gov.sg/web/retailIndustrydigitalplan for more information on the refreshed Retail IDP.
Resources:
Annex A: Retail Sector Overview and Quotes for Media Reporting (5.06KB)
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