Beyond The Vines uses online insights to shape overseas growth

It looks at online reception before opening any physical stores.

Singaporean design studio Beyond The Vines (BTV) is accelerating its regional expansion by relying heavily on digital data to decide when and where to grow next.

The brand’s overseas strategy is increasingly shaped by real-time online behaviour, well before any physical store opens, co-founder Rebecca Ting told Retail Asia.

BTV sells ready-to-wear apparel, bags, tech accessories, and everyday and travel-oriented items like stationery, water tumblers, and waterproof film cameras.

“When we first started Beyond The Vines, it was purely an e-commerce business,” she said. “That was our laboratory—our way to test ideas and learn directly from our customers.”

Products are launched online first, allowing the team to track demand across markets before committing to permanent retail spaces. “It gives us a clear, data-driven read on what excites our community,” Ting said in an emailed reply to questions.

That approach guided recent store openings in Shanghai and Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, where online traction consistently exceeded expectations.

“We look for markets where the brand is already resonating organically, where excitement builds naturally, and where communities start forming even before we show up physically,” she pointed out.

In Japan, years of pop-up activity also helped build confidence ahead of Beyond The Vines’ first permanent store in Shinjuku Marui, offering insight into local shopping patterns and customer preferences.

Despite its strong digital backbone, physical retail remains key to the brand’s identity. “We’ve always believed in physical retail because design is tactile,” Ting said. “You need to touch, try, and feel the weight of an object—that’s how real connection with a brand happens.”

BTV’esign Stores are positioned as immersive extensions of the studio’s ethos, translating its utility-driven philosophy into spatial experiences shaped by human interaction. Offline retail has also become a meaningful driver of conversion, with shoppers moving fluidly between channels.

In Singapore, about 68% of consumers now use both online and brick-and-mortar stores when evaluating products, according to a November report by point-of-sale system provider EPOS. Omnichannel retail accounted for more than half of total retail spending in 2022 and is expected to grow by 21.2% by 2026, based on Accenture data cited in the report.

As Beyond The Vines enters new markets, digital insights also guide personalisation. In online-first regions such as Indonesia, content-led strategies and community engagement take priority. “Our Indonesian community is incredibly active online,” Ting said, noting that styling videos and platform-native formats drive demand despite the absence of physical stores.

By contrast, markets such as Tokyo and Shanghai receive exclusive colourways, tailored product assortments, and seasonal variations. In colder climates, warmer apparel categories sit alongside the brand’s core accessories.

Singapore remains Beyond The Vines’ strongest market by sales and engagement, supported by a loyal community. Ting said the city offers a solid base for regional growth, adding that ideas shaped by local sensibilities often resonate well beyond the island’s borders.