Cookiy Research · Shopee SG Users · 15 Interviews · March 2026

The home is clutter.
The search wins.

Fifteen Singapore Shopee users described their browsing, trust, and deal-hunting habits. The home screen is noise; the search bar is the product.

11 of 15 enter the app via the search bar, skipping the home feed
a Singapore shopper on a couch scrolling a marketplace app on a phone with a mug of coffee beside, editorial documentary photograph, warm indoor light
a Singapore shopper on a couch scrolling a marketplace app on a phone with a mug of coffee beside, editorial documentary photograph, warm indoor light
Executive summary — three sentences
Singapore Shopee users treat the home screen as promotional noise and route real intent through the search bar — 11 of 15 named it as their entry point. Reviews and seller ratings deliver purchase confidence, with savvy fake-review detection. Vouchers with minimum-spend above S$40–50 are a friction point, and users openly optimise purchase baskets to qualify when they work.
11/15SEARCH BAR IS ENTRY POINT
11/15REVIEWS DRIVE PURCHASE CONFIDENCE
7/15UI FEELS BULKY / CROWDED
7/15FLASH DEAL URGENCY WORKS
01

The search bar is the real home screen.

11 of 15 described entering the app and going straight to the search bar — skipping the home feed of banners, recommendations, and promos. The feed is visual overhead; the search is intent.

"I searched the item I wanted to buy, and I just proceed to order."— P02 · trust-first reviewer
02

Reviews with photos — especially unpolished ones — drive purchase confidence.

11 of 15 explicitly used reviews as the decisive trust signal. The quality bar is review photos, mix of good and bad ratings, and 'home-light' amateur-looking images — the polished staged photos are suspicious.

"I can tell whether there are real reviews or they are fake reviews bought by the seller."— P04 · trust-first reviewer
03

UI crowding alienates a third of users; they want fewer banners, not more.

7 of 15 described the home and voucher pages as 'bulky', 'too crowded', 'too many pictures'. The complaint is specifically about interrupt-style promos on top of the browsing flow — pop-ups, modal offers, repeated banners.

"I feel that the UI is a little bulky. Make it less bulky."— P01 · impatient simplicity seeker
04

Flash-deal urgency works — until users notice it is fake.

7 of 15 responded actively to Flash Deal timers, 'Lowest Price Guaranteed' tags, and countdowns. The FOMO works and the product moves. But it is sensitive to credibility.

"The time limit… it might be gone soon."— P03 · deal hunter
05

Vouchers above S$40–50 minimum spend are friction, not incentive.

5 of 15 explicitly named high minimum-spend thresholds as a reason they do not claim vouchers. The preferred band is S$20–50; anything above that converts the voucher from a reward into a purchase-forcing mechanism.

"The minimum is too high. I don't claim that."— P05 · deal hunter
I generally trust what is listed there. — P01 · impatient simplicity seeker

Four archetypes

● Trust-First Reviewer 4 of 15 "I'll always look for reviews that provide pictures so I know what I'll receive."
— P10 · trust-first reviewer
■ Deal Hunter 5 of 15 "If I get the cheaper price, I give you the five-star Shopee app."
— P11 · deal hunter
▲ Impatient Simplicity Seeker 3 of 15 "If it is possible, make it less bulky, less items."
— P01 · impatient simplicity seeker
◆ Casual Revisit Browser 3 of 15 "A quicker way to assess items that I have purchased previously."
— P09 · casual revisit browser

The home feed is noise. The search bar is the product.

Singapore Shopee users route real intent through search, trust unstaged photos over polished ones, and punish countdown theatre — design around their intent, not yours.

Powered by Cookiy AI

The consumers in this report. You could talk to them.

Cookiy AI runs AI-moderated consumer interviews at scale — in hours, not weeks.

Learn more →