Retail therapy at your fingertips.

Singapore's no stranger to mammoth shopping malls, and it's certainly not short on online stores, but we're becoming quite fascinated with these online shopping malls that bring the best of both worlds together. These websites each comprise several shops and categories (including local, handmade products on some), awesome delivery services and of course, secure payments.

Lazada

Barely two years old and this spanking new online shopping mall already counts country-specific domains for Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Phillippines and the latest, Singapore. The stats they boast are impressive: over one million visits to its website every day and seven million Facebook followers. Currently available in the local site are eight categories—health & beauty, mobiles & tablets, consumer electronics, home appliances, home & living—with five more lifestyle-centered departments (fashion, sports, toys, travel and media) launching soon. 
What we like: Free returns, extensive customer care (phone and email), its Trusted Seller-only program.
Accepts: Credit cards, Paypal and cash on delivery

sosoon

Online shoppers know this too well: You buy a dress or a shirt, hoping to wear it for an important occasion, but it’s been a week or so and your package hasn’t arrived. But that's a-changing with this minimalist, fuss-free site, with its promise of delivering purchases within 24 hours every day (in fact, we got our products in a matter of hours). In store are more than 15,000 products spanning home wares, fashion goods, electronics, beauty products, sporting equipment and stuff for kids.
What we like: Same-day delivery (including on public holidays), first-timers get a $10 credit voucher, free returns, free delivery on purchases over $40.
Accepts: Credit cards and cash on delivery

The Shop City

Singapore's answer to Etsy, the online marketplace serves as a platform for local artists, designers and crafters to peddle theirwares. To date, there are over 30 virtual shops with 800 unique "walk-ins" per month. Cancellations, returns, exchanges and refunds are subjected to individual seller's policies.
What we like: Its focus on original, handmade products and the Workshops section.
Accepts: Paypal, internet/ATM/bank transfer, cash on delivery

Rakuten

The Japanese online marketplace carries over 100,000 products (expect lots of Japanese goods) across categories including fashion, wellness, electronics, toys, home and even food products. Bargain hunters should be pretty pleased with the various promotions and sale events, like the hallmark Rakuten Super Sale, happening on the site daily. Cancellations and returns are subjected to individual merchants' policies.
What we like: Its Rakuten Super Point reward program—the more you buy, the more points you get (100 Super Points are worth $1)—which can be spent on the site.
Accepts: Credit cards and Paypal

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