Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) have launched the refreshed Retail Industry Digital Plan (IDP) on Tuesday, to guide over 2,000 small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) retailers on their digital transformation efforts.
The refreshed IDP aims to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of Singapore’s retail SMEs through two key shifts in approach, the duo said in a statement.
Firstly, IDP reorganizes 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.
Secondly, IDP expands its suite of solutions to include a greater emphasis on AI-powered and AI-enabled technologies across all business touchpoints.
Recognizing 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, in which the in-store or online AI concierge and GenAI customer engagement Chatbot for retailers seeking to elevate in-store and online customer engagement through personalized support and recommendations.
They also include back-of-house – operations, where demand forecasting for retailers seeking to optimize inventory management and make informed business decisions through data-driven insights and predictive analytics.
They also include corporate solutions, where 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.
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 duo said 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 percent of SMEs adopting entry-level solutions and 45 percent intermediate ones – findings from IMDA’s 2025 annual survey for the retail sector suggested that adoption of more advanced solutions remained limited.
Besides, the statement highlighted that 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 duo see the rapid advancement of 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, said the statement.
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.
To help businesses safely digitalize, 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).
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