Vegetarian Food Search Trends in Singapore: A Local Market Insight Guide

For education purposes : A snapshot to support SMEs and curious individuals who are keen on exploring trends.

Eric Lee
Refruit
Published in
4 min readApr 18, 2024

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Photo by Dose Juice on Unsplash

If you are interested in exploring anything related to vegetarian food in Singapore — be it a store, product, or campaign — this offers a quick insight into the search trends for the keyword ‘Vegetarian Food’. Below are some questions that it can help to answer, as well as raising questions for further exploration:

  • Is now a good time to open a vegetarian restaurant?
  • What strategies should I employ to launch a successful marketing campaign for vegetarian products?
  • How can I grow my existing vegetarian food brand in the competitive market?
  • What new vegetarian dishes or concepts could capture the public’s interest?

Trend Outlook

Google Trend

The Google Trends graph shows the interest over time for the search term “vegetarian food” in Singapore from 2004 to the present. The interest level is represented on a scale from 0 to 100, where 100 represents the peak popularity of the term. From the graph, we can observe several points of interest:

  • Overall Trend: The graph shows an overall increasing trend over the years. This could be interpreted as a growing awareness and interest in vegetarian food within the Singaporean population.
  • Fluctuations: There are periodic fluctuations in interest, April 2020 and June 2021. These could correspond to specific events such as Covid-19 lockdown.

Recent Stability: In the more recent years, interest seems to have stabilized at a relatively high level, suggesting that vegetarian food has established a consistent level of interest among the public in Singapore.

Other Resources

Insights from ‘Ai Palette’ has also highlighted that :-

“The plant-based trend in Singapore has an average compounded growth rate of over 12% over the last four years, primarily driven by health, taste, and dietary restrictions due to religious or ethical reasons. The trend has a 94% positive sentiment among Singapore consumers. “

However, we are hungry and curious. Which vegetarian cuisines are popular in Singapore?

Vegetarian Cuisines

Google Trend

The graph shows search interest over time for different types of vegetarian cuisine in Singapore from 2004 to the present.

  • The upward trend in Vegetarian Chinese food suggests increasing popularity, which could project broader menu options or increased adoption of vegetarian diets among the Chinese community.
  • Steady interest in Vegetarian Indian food indicates a sustained market that may continue to flourish or remain stable.
  • Lower but consistent interest levels in Vegetarian Thai, Korean, and Japanese foods might imply a steady niche market with untapped market potential for growth if influenced by factors like new culinary trends or health movements.

Vegetarian cuisine appears to be increasingly popular in Singapore. Should you decide to launch a vegetarian eatery in the region, which area would be the most suitable for it?

Which Area Would be the Most Suitable to Launch a Vegetarian Eatery

The image is a list of related search queries associated with “vegetarian food” in Google’s “People Also Search For” feature.

High Traffic Commercial Areas: The presence of searches for vegetarian food in Bugis, Marina Square, Vivocity, and Clarke Quay indicates a high demand in bustling commercial areas, making them attractive locations for a vegetarian restaurant.

Dense Residential Zones: Interest in vegetarian food within residential neighborhoods like Novena, Tampines, and Ang Mo Kio suggests that these areas have a resident population that could support a local vegetarian eatery.

Entertainment and Leisure Destinations: Universal Studios appearing in the searches points to a market within entertainment destinations, indicating that tourists and families looking for leisure activities also seek vegetarian dining options.

Key Transport and Shopping Hubs: Changi Airport, being a major travel hub that doubles as a shopping destination, shows potential for a vegetarian restaurant, serving not just travelers but also locals who visit for shopping and leisure purposes. It’s a place where people have time to dine while waiting for flights or during shopping trips.

Iconic Shopping Streets: Orchard Road’s status as a famed shopping street provides an opportunity to cater to shoppers and tourists who may be looking for vegetarian food options in between their retail excursions.

Cultural Centers: The search interest for vegetarian food in areas with cultural significance like Chinatown suggests a dual appeal for both those interested in heritage and those seeking plant-based dining options.

Conclusion

For businesses and individuals aspiring to venture into the vegetarian food scene in Singapore, the data suggests a favorable market climate. The key to success may lie in the strategic placement of vegetarian outlets in both high-density commercial zones and culturally rich neighbourhoods, paired with a strong marketing strategy that capitalises on the growing health, taste, and ethical trends driving the plant-based movement.

For additional insights and trend reports, connect with us on LinkedIn or follow us on Medium.

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Eric Lee
Refruit

A student of the world and also a 'smokejumper' ready for the unknown.