Pan Pacific Retail Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd wins two trophies at Retail Asia Awards

Its DONKI app is amongst the top 20 shopping apps in the Google Play and Apple stores.

Amidst the ensuing pandemic, discount store DON DON DONKI continued to expand its network around Singapore and across key cities in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Taiwan, opening its newest store at Downtown East in April 2021.

Originally from and known in Japan as Don Quijote, DON DON DONKI is not the ordinary discount store around the corner. Overseen by Pan Pacific Retail Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd, it offers a wide range of high-quality, premium goods from Japan ranging from perishables, ready-to-eat food, grocery, confectionery, liquor, and beverages. 

As well, each store is uniquely designed to adapt a concept closely associated to its locale whilst retaining elements of a Don Quijote shop in Japan, offering customers both convenience and amusement. Patrons are encouraged to check out every nook and cranny, and thus the close to 30,000 products on display, thanks to the store’s maze-like layout. 

Store opening activities, performances and seasonal events hosted by DON DON DONKI also lend to its treasure-hunt-like charm, offering customers a taste of Japan without having to hop on a plane.

In a bid to further amp up its customer base, the DONKI app was born in 2019 to reward customer loyalty and encourage spending. 

Developed by Codigo, the DONKI app is designed with a tier system based on the dMiles earned over time by a member, namely Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum tiers. Each time a member upgrades to a higher tier, the app awards more dMiles than the last and is maintained by accumulating a corresponding amount of dMiles in a year. 

Aside from the in-app discount coupons redeemable by exchanging dMiles, it also offers member exclusives such as bi-weekly product discount coupons, birthday coupons, and stamp card prizes. 

The app also serves as a mini-website and directory, providing customers with the latest updates, announcements, and store location information. More features are in the works, including an in-app game tied to its dMiles accumulation and exchange system.

In Singapore, the DONKI app is amongst the top 20 shopping apps in the Google Play and Apple app stores. To date, there are currently over 403,000 members in Singapore, with 96% of them actively using the app and its features. Overall, the DONKI app has over 1.7 million members.

Thanks to its expansion efforts, Pan Pacific Retail Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd bagged both the Discount Store of the Year - Singapore and Retail App of the Year - Singapore awards at the recently concluded Retail Asia Awards, presented by Retail Asia. Now in its 16th year, the awards event lauds exceptional retailers, projects, and executives who have introduced remarkable initiatives and solutions that have further changed the retail industry.

In the last 15 months, DON DON DONKI achieved a 155% high in terms of sales despite the global pandemic bearing down on the retail and sales industry. 

With the increasing demand for an online presence, DON DON DONKI also ventured into a partnership with leading e-commerce platforms Grab and Shopee, to reach a wider range of consumers and strengthen its regional presence.

Watch the interview below to know more about their winning project: