An FMCG brand scraped FairPrice bestseller rankings across 8,000+ products to identify trending items, optimize product mix, predict demand, and increase market share by 18% in Singapore’s dominant grocery chain over 14 months.
Operating in Singapore’s concentrated retail market where FairPrice commands 65% market share, the FMCG brand needed real-time intelligence on what Singaporean consumers were actually buying — not just what retailers claimed to stock.
Nielsen data lagged 4-6 weeks and aggregated across all channels. No way to identify real-time trending products specifically at FairPrice, Singapore’s dominant retailer.
Launching new SKUs in Singapore without understanding what categories/formats were trending at FairPrice. 40% of launches failed within 6 months.
FairPrice controlled shelf allocation based on their internal sales data. Brand had no counter-data to negotiate better placement or additional facings.
Could see competitors’ products on shelf but no idea which were bestsellers, which were declining, or what new products were gaining traction.
Running promotions with FairPrice but unable to track impact on rankings or compare effectiveness vs. competitors’ promotions.
Regional products that succeeded in Malaysia/Thailand often failed in Singapore. Needed Singapore-specific consumer preference data.
690k+ data points revealed unique Singaporean purchasing patterns
Built system scraping FairPrice online bestseller rankings across all categories daily: beverages, snacks, instant foods, personal care, household items — tracking 8,247 products with rank position, price, promotions, ratings.
Developed algorithms identifying products rising/falling in rankings, calculating ranking velocity (speed of ascent/descent), detecting new entrants to Top 100, and flagging products maintaining Top 10 positions.
Built real-time dashboard showing brand’s products vs competitors in same categories, identifying gaps (bestselling formats/flavors brand didn’t offer), tracking competitor promotional activity and ranking impact.
Used bestseller data to inform new product development: identified trending flavors (salted egg, laksa, durian), popular pack sizes, successful price points, and healthier reformulation opportunities.
“Singapore is unique — 65% market share controlled by FairPrice means what sells there IS the market. But we were flying blind, relying on 6-week-old Nielsen data while competitors moved in real-time. The bestseller intelligence revealed salted egg flavor was exploding — we launched salted egg chips within 8 weeks and hit #12 overall within 3 months. We identified pack size gaps, optimal price points (S$4.50 sweet spot), and that 38% of bestsellers carried Healthier Choice. Armed with daily ranking data, we negotiated 34% more shelf facings. Market share grew 18% in 14 months. This became our strategic weapon in Singapore.”
65% market share means FairPrice bestsellers accurately represent Singapore consumer preferences. What trends there trends nationally.
Products entered/exited Top 50 in 2.1 weeks average. Daily monitoring essential — weekly checks miss rapid shifts.
47% of Top 100 were Asian brands. Salted egg, laksa, durian, kaya flavors outsold Western variants. Singapore ≠ Western markets.
83% of bestsellers under S$10, with S$4.50 optimal. Despite high incomes, Singaporeans value-conscious on FMCG.
Health consciousness major driver. Products with Healthier Choice logo 2.3x more likely in Top 100 vs category average.
Nielsen data 6 weeks behind. Daily rankings enabled 8-week product launches vs 6-month industry standard.
Track real-time consumer trends, identify product gaps, optimize launches, and negotiate better with data-driven retailer intelligence.
