Singapore Influencer Marketing & KOL Statistics 2025
- GOVIRAL GLOBAL
- 3 days ago
- 11 min read
In Singapore’s fast-moving digital landscape, influencer marketing and KOL (Key Opinion Leader) collaborations have become central components of many brand strategies. The marketplace is evolving rapidly - changing platforms, changing consumer behaviour, rising expectations for authenticity, and increasing pressure on ROI. For 2025, the Singapore market offers both opportunity and complexity: high digital penetration, an affluent and connected consumer base, and a compact ecosystem that allows brands to experiment—but also one where saturation and scepticism are real.
This blog post will provide a comprehensive statistical overview of influencer / KOL marketing in Singapore in 2025, and guide brands on how to navigate the space effectively.
1. Market Size & Growth
Market Value & Forecast
According to a recent article, the influencer marketing industry in Singapore is estimated to be SGD 285 million in 2025, representing about a 24% year-on-year growth from 2024.
According to Statista’s data (“Influencer Advertising – Singapore”) the ad spending on influencer advertising in Singapore is forecast to reach US$110.19 million in 2025.
This suggests that Singapore is growing faster than many global averages (the 24% growth figure vs global 18% in that article).
Budget Allocation
From the article cited:
42% of budgets go to campaign execution/creator payments
31% to content production and creative development
18% to performance analysis and optimization
9% to discovery/relationship-management platforms
Also, 78% of surveyed Singapore companies now have dedicated influencer marketing line items in their annual budgets (up from 63% in 2023) – showing institutionalisation.
Implications
The market is maturing: brands are no longer treating influencer marketing as “optional experimental” but as core channel.
Investment is increasing both in absolute dollars and in sophistication (i.e., dedicated budget, analytics, ongoing partnerships).
However: With growth comes competition — more creators, more brands, more noise — so differentiation, measurement and authenticity become critical.
2. Platform Breakdown & Consumer Engagement
Platform Use in Singapore
From a June 2025 article on influencer marketing in Singapore:
Instagram is used by 87% of brands in their influencer strategy, and is the primary platform for 52% of brands.
TikTok: 76% of brands include it; primary platform for 28% of brands.
Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book): 41% of brands include it; primary platform for 11% of brands.
YouTube: 38% include it; primary for about 7%.
Facebook: 22% include it; primary for 2%.
Engagement & Conversion Metrics by Platform
Average engagement rates:
Instagram: 2.2% (in Singapore)
TikTok: 5.4%
Average conversion rates:
Instagram: 3.8% and average order value (AOV) SGD 42
TikTok: 2.1%, AOV SGD 35
Xiaohongshu: 3.4%, AOV SGD 58
YouTube: 1.8%, AOV SGD 67
Consumer-Engagement Findings
A study by AnyMind Group found Singaporeans are 62% more likely to respond to sponsored influencer content.
Singaporeans are 49% more likely to engage with influencer-led short videos, 45% more likely with interactive ads, and 32% more likely with in-game advertising.
In a broader trend article: nano influencers (under 10K followers) hit 3–5% engagement, micro influencers (10K–100K) 2–4% in Singapore.
Platform Implications for Singapore Brands
Instagram remains the “safe bet,” especially for conversion-oriented campaigns, especially in segments like beauty, fashion.
TikTok is valuable for discovery / awareness thanks to higher engagement rates, but conversion is lower—so the funnel must be designed accordingly.
Xiaohongshu is interesting for luxury/Chinese-speaking segments in Singapore – the higher AOV suggests premium product suitability.
Short-form video and interactive formats dominate for engagement.
Brands should not treat the funnel as linear anymore; as AnyMind suggests, Singapore’s consumer journey is “orbital” rather than strictly awareness → consideration → conversion.
3. Singapore Influencer Tiers, Rates & ROI
Influencer Tier Breakdown & Engagement
From the 2025 Singapore statistics:
Nano influencers (1K-10K followers): used by 58% of brands; average engagement 5.8%
Micro influencers (10K-50K): used by 81% of brands; average engagement 4.2%
Mid-tier (50K-500K): used by 64% of brands; engagement 2.6%
Macro (500K-1M): used by 31% of brands; engagement 1.9%
Celebrity (1M+): used by 13% of brands; engagement 1.6%
Typical Rates in Singapore (2025)
From Confetti’s 2025 guide:
Nano influencer post (1K–10K): SGD 50 – SGD 300 per post.
Micro (10K–50K): SGD 300 – SGD 1,000 per post.
Mid-tier (50K–200K): SGD 1,000 – SGD 5,000 per post.
Macro (200K–500K): SGD 5,000 – SGD 10,000 per post.
Celebrity / KOL (500K+): SGD 10,000+ per post.
ROI & Performance
The June 2025 article reports that the average ROI for influencer campaigns in Singapore has reached 5.8×, with top campaigns (especially in beauty/fashion) exceeding 11×.
Additionally, brands indicate that customers acquired via influencer campaigns have 28% higher lifetime value (LTV) and 34% higher retention rates compared to customers from paid social ads.
Tier Implications
The relatively higher engagement rates for nano/micro influencers indicate that for many brands, especially SMEs or niche brands, smaller-scale creators may offer better value per dollar.
Macro/celebrity influencers deliver broad reach but lower engagement and may cost significantly more - so the budget allocation must reflect trade-offs between reach, cost, authenticity and trackability.
The fact that brands are seeing higher LTV and retention from influencer-sourced customers suggests that influencer marketing is moving beyond 'awareness' into long-term customer relationship building.
4. Consumer Behaviour & Trust
Trust in Influencer Content
According to AnyMind’s report: 72% of Singaporean consumers have made a purchase based on influencer recommendations in the past six months.
In a separate report (Cube Asia) for Southeast Asia: Singapore’s “influence on purchase recommendation” was about 55% in 2024, down 8 pts from prior year.
Demographic trust details (from one article):
Gen Z (16-24): trust nano/micro influencers the most (78%)
Millennials (25-40): 73% trust mid-tier subject matter experts
Gen X (41-56): 62% trust influencer content when it shows authentic product usage.
Purchase-Journey Behaviour
In Singapore, consumer behaviour shows that ads placed 3 days before a purchase are more effective, especially in the consideration stage.
Short-video formats (e.g., TikTok, Reels) and interactive ads perform strongly in the consideration phase.
Word-of-mouth and search are still major channels for driving sales. In the AnyMind report: word of mouth + search remain “the clear channels for driving sales” in Singapore.
Implications for Brands
Authenticity matters: consumers trust influencers when they perceive them as relatable (nano/micro) and when the content shows real usage, not just staged endorsement.
Timing matters: placing influencer content at the right moment (e.g., a few days before purchase) can maximise impact.
Format matters: short-form video + interactive features are key for engagement and conversion in Singapore.
Retention matters: influencer-driven customers can be more valuable in the long term, so brands should build for lifetime value, not just one-time sale.
5. Industry Investment, Agencies & Ecosystem
Agencies & Service Providers
Singapore is home to a robust local ecosystem of influencer marketing agencies. For instance, one article lists “Top 5 influencer marketing agencies in Singapore (2025)”.
Some key statistics from that article:
84% of marketers in Singapore report influencer marketing as a top-performing channel.
Micro-influencers generate engagement rates up to 60% higher than traditional ads (in Singapore) according to agency commentary.
Estimated influencer marketing spend in Singapore in 2025 projected at SGD 180 million (per that agency article).
Broader Ecosystem Considerations
The Singapore digital economy is highly connected: reports indicate consumers use ~7 platforms monthly and spend >2 hours daily on social networks.
Influencer marketing is only part of the broader digital marketing mix; measurement, attribution, campaign management, content production, creator CRM all form part of the ecosystem.
Some market commentary: influencer marketing accounts for 5.5% of overall digital ad spending in Singapore per one article.
Implications
The maturity of the ecosystem (agencies, platforms, measurement tools) means that brands need to operate at a higher level: ongoing creator relationships, integrated campaign measurement, long-term ROI rather than one-off posts.
Choice of agency or platform partner matters; local knowledge of Singapore’s cultural nuances, languages (English, Mandarin, Malay), community dynamics matters.
Budget planning should reflect not just the creator fee, but also content production, measurement, creator management, and optimization.
6. Emerging Trends & Key Themes for 2025
Here are some of the major trends shaping influencer / KOL marketing in Singapore in 2025.
6.1 Rise of Micro & Nano Influencers
Many articles emphasise that micro (10K–50K) and nano (1K–10K) influencers are becoming the sweet spot for Singapore brands.
Reasons: authenticity, community trust, higher engagement, cost-effectiveness. From one guide: nano influencers in Singapore achieve up to 4× higher engagement than macro influencers.
For SMEs and niche brands, working with multiple micro/nano influencers creates diverse touchpoints and less reliance on a single big influencer.
6.2 Short-form Video & Interactive Content
Short-form video is now dominant: Singapore consumers are 49% more likely to engage with influencer-led short videos.
Interactive ads (polls, AR filters) and live streaming are gaining traction.
Example: The Q1 2025 report of TikTok Shop Singapore showed GMV of over US$390 million and a dominant role of livestream & video content in influencer marketing.
6.3 Hyper-Local & Community-Based Campaigns
Because Singapore is a compact but diverse market (ethnicity, languages, localities), hyper-local creator strategies (e.g., neighbourhood cafés, micro-communities) are increasingly used.
Brands are moving beyond mass-reach celebrities toward creators embedded in local micro-communities.
6.4 B2B Influencer Marketing & New Niches
While influencer marketing in Singapore has traditionally been B2C (beauty, fashion, food), there’s an increasing trend toward B2B KOLs — especially on platforms like LinkedIn and YouTube (for fintech, SaaS, professional services).
6.5 Data, Measurement, AI & Creator Tech
Brands are looking for better measurement, attribution, creator CRM systems, ongoing relationships — not just one-off posts. In the June 2025 article: 64% of brands use multi-touch attribution.
AI is increasingly applied in influencer selection, sentiment analysis, performance forecasting.
6.6 Authenticity, Diverse Creators & Purpose-Driven Content
Singapore consumers prefer authenticity over highly polished “ad- esque” content; creators who speak like “people like them” get more trust.
Purpose, values, sustainability, cultural relevance are rising in importance especially among younger consumers.
7. Key Challenges & Risks
While there is strong opportunity, brands in Singapore must also navigate a number of challenges.
Challenge 1: Oversaturation & Diminishing Returns
As more brands engage influencers, especially macro/celebrity ones, differentiation becomes harder. Engagement rates drop as follows: macro celebrity engagements in Singapore are 1.6% on average.
The trust in influencer recommendations for purchase decisions in Singapore dropped to 55% in 2024 (a decline) according to one report.
Challenge 2: Attribution & Measurement
While more brands are using multi-touch attribution (64%), measurement remains complex because influencer journeys may span multiple touchpoints and platforms.
Converting awareness to consideration to purchase is especially non-linear in Singapore’s audience.
Challenge 3: Costs & Budget Efficiency
The rate for top influencers is high (e.g., SGD 10,000+ per post for 500K+ followers) in Singapore.
Smaller brands may struggle to compete on cost or to track true ROI beyond vanity metrics (likes, views) rather than actual conversions.
Challenge 4: Platform & Regulatory Risks
Social platforms evolve quickly, algorithm changes, short-form preferences change, and consumers after early adopter fatigue may become more cynical.
Also regulatory and brand safety issues: authenticity, influencer disclosure, ad-labelling, and potential fraud (fake followers, engagement pods) are real risks.
Challenge 5: Cultural & Local Nuances
Singapore is multicultural (English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil), and influencers often operate across languages. Brands must ensure creator alignment with brand values, linguistic/cultural relevance, and local/regional nuances.
For example, targeting Chinese-speaking affluent SGD-earner segments may require platforms like Xiaohongshu, which is less used by many Western-centric marketers.
8. Actionable Recommendations for Brands & Marketers in Singapore (2025)
Based on the above data and trends, here are recommendations to consider when planning influencer/KOL campaigns in Singapore in 2025.
Recommendation A: Define Clear Objectives & Metrics
Decide early: is the campaign about awareness? Consideration? Conversion? Retention?
Align influencer KPIs accordingly (e.g., engagement, click-through, conversion rate, LTV) not just reach.
Use multi-touch attribution if possible, especially since influencer-driven journeys may span days/weeks. The June article showed influencer influence often appears 2-3 weeks before conversion.
Recommendation B: Choose Platform & Format based on Funnel Stage
For awareness: short-form video (TikTok, Reels), interactive content, new formats (AR/filters) are highly relevant in Singapore.
For consideration and conversion: Instagram remains strong, Xiaohongshu for premium/Chinese choice segments.
For retention and long-term value: use creators for storytelling, product-usage content, customer advocacy.
Consider timing: in Singapore, influencer ads placed 3 days before purchase show stronger conversion.
Recommendation C: Leverage Micro & Nano Influencers
Especially for niche brands, local products, community-driven campaigns: working with multiple nano/micro influencers (1K-50K) offers high engagement, authenticity and cost-effectiveness.
Build creator rosters (not one-off posts): According to the June article 68% of brands now work with influencer rosters.
Use local relevance: hyper-local communities in Singapore (by neighbourhood, interest, language) can yield high trust.
Recommendation D: Ensure Authenticity & Localisation
Choose creators whose voice aligns with brand and resonates with Singapore audience.
Prefer content that shows real usage, narratives, lifestyle fit rather than staged ads.
Use multi-language where relevant; Singapore’s multicultural audience may need both English and Mandarin/social media dialects.
Encourage user-generated content (UGC) and brand-creator co-creation to increase trust.
Recommendation E: Invest in Content & Measurement Infrastructure
Budget must include not just creator fees, but production, optimization, platform analytics, creator CRM, measurement.
Use tools/agency partners that can provide advanced reporting, sentiment analysis, fraud detection, and audience insights.
Experiment and iterate: Because the market is evolving (platforms, formats), plan for testing, learning and scaling winners.
Recommendation F: Long-Term Partnerships & Community Building
Move away from “one-and-done” influencer posts. Brands should build ongoing relationships with creators, turning them into advocates or brand ambassadors.
Use influencer campaigns not just for acquisition but for building brand community, retention, and LTV – given data that influencer-acquired customers in Singapore have 28% higher LTV.
Align creator community strategies with beyond-campaign: events, UGC, feedback loops, product co-creation.
Recommendation G: Mitigate Risks
Verify influencer authenticity (followers, engagement, previous work) to avoid fraud.
Ensure proper disclosure of sponsored content (complying with Singapore’s regulations).
Consider brand safety, alignment of values, cultural sensitivity.
Monitor platform changes and audience behaviour shifts (e.g., rapid rise of new platforms, decline of certain formats).
Maintain agility: if something doesn’t perform, pivot quickly.
9. Case Highlights & Sample Metrics (Hypothetical Scenario)
To help illustrate how a brand might use these data in practice:
Case Example: Beauty Brand Launching in SG
Brand has SGD 100K budget, targeting Singapore female consumers 18-35.
Influencer strategy:
70% budget → micro/nano influencers (10-50K) × 10 creators, cost per creator SGD 800-1,500 each.
20% budget → 2 mid-tier influencers (50K-200K) each at SGD 4,000.
10% budget → production + measurement tools + content amplification.
Platform: Instagram (conversion focus) + TikTok (awareness) + content cross-posted to Xiaohongshu for Mandarin-speaking segment.
Expectation based on local metrics: micro influencers average engagement 4.2% (SG)
Conversion estimation: use Instagram conversion 3.8% (SG)
If each micro generates 20,000 impressions, with 4.2% engagement = 840 engagements; then conversion at say 3% → 25 conversions per creator. With 10 creators = 250 conversions. With AOV SGD 42 (SG) (Instagram metric) → SGD 10,500 revenue from that portion; further conversions from mid-tier could boost revenue.
Using oversight and content optimization (short-form videos, timing 3 days before purchase) should enhance results.
Over time, if influencer-acquired customers have 28% higher LTV, then future revenue potential improves.
(Of course every brand and niche differs — this is just illustrative.)
10. Summary & Key Takeaways
Singapore’s influencer/KOL market in 2025 is growing strongly, with estimated spending in the hundreds of millions SGD and year-on-year growth 24%.
Instagram still leads, but TikTok and Xiaohongshu and short-form video formats are increasingly important.
Micro and nano influencers are becoming the most effective tier for many brands in Singapore due to authenticity and higher engagement.
Brands can expect strong ROI: average 5.8×, with top campaigns much higher (e.g., >11× in beauty/fashion).
Consumer behaviour in Singapore emphasises authenticity, trust, timing (ads 3 days before purchase), and interactive/short-form formats.
Challenges include saturation, measurement complexity, cost efficiency, and platform/consumer landscape shifts.
Best practice for brands: set clear objectives, choose platforms/format wisely, invest in micro/nano influencers, ensure authenticity/localisation, build long-term creator relationships, allocate budget beyond creator fees (production + measurement), mitigate risks.
11. What to Watch in Coming Years
The influencer advertising market in Singapore is projected to grow at 12.4% CAGR between 2025-2030 (Statista figure).
Livestream commerce (as seen in TikTok Shop) is gaining traction in Singapore and Southeast Asia — brands that integrate influencers into live-commerce may see outsized gains.
AI tools for influencer discovery, virtual KOLs, generative content may start to become mainstream; brands will face new choices in human vs virtual creators.
Sustainability, purpose-driven marketing, and creator diversity will become even more important as Singapore consumers mature.
Regulatory scrutiny: as influencer marketing matures, ad-labelling, disclosure, creator transparency, data privacy will likely tighten.
12. Conclusion
For marketers in Singapore, influencer marketing in 2025 is not just “nice to have” — it’s rapidly becoming a core channel with measurable business impact. But with growth comes sophistication: to succeed, brands must go beyond one-off celebrity posts and superficial metrics. The data show that the best results come from smart platform strategy, authentic creators (especially micro/nano), meaningful content formats (short-form video, interactive), measurement and attribution capabilities, and long-term relationships.
If you are planning an influencer or KOL campaign in Singapore this year (or next), you are entering a vibrant but competitive arena — the brands that win will be those who bring strategy, authenticity, community focus, and measurement into their approach.