(Singapore, October 22, 2026) — Lalamove, the leading on-demand delivery platform, has announced findings from its latest SME survey across its operating markets. Among the more than 300 business users surveyed in Singapore, 35% are optimistic about business prospects in 2027, the most common outlook, while 48% are already using AI tools or automation in their operations. Of those using AI, more than half say it has accelerated the pace at which their businesses need to move, driving a growing need for faster, more flexible delivery.
Singapore SMEs are entering 2027 with a notably positive outlook. 35% of respondents are optimistic about Singapore’s business prospects in 2027, the single largest group, while a further 21% expect conditions to remain unchanged. Together, more than half of those surveyed anticipate stability or growth in the year ahead.
Delivery expectations point in the same direction. 36% of respondents expect their delivery demand to increase in 2027, while a further 54% expect it to remain steady. Even as costs remain a concern, businesses expect logistics demand to stay active.
That cost pressure is real. A third of respondents said their transportation and logistics costs increased in 2026 compared with the previous year. Against this backdrop, the way SMEs are running their businesses is also changing and technology is playing a growing role.
48% of Singapore SMEs surveyed currently use AI tools or automation in some part of their operations, with a further 17% actively considering adoption. Among those already using AI, the impact on business pace is tangible. 31% say their operations are running slightly faster, and 21% say much faster, meaning more than half report a meaningful acceleration in how quickly they need to move. Current usage is concentrated in marketing and content creation, administration, customer service, workflow automation and sales.
But the effects of this faster pace are not felt internally alone. As businesses move quicker, so do customer expectations. Among respondents whose logistics needs are changing, customers expecting faster delivery was one of the most commonly cited reasons, selected by 20%. More last-minute orders, increased customer orders and business expansion were also among the factors cited.
This shift in expectations is showing up directly in delivery behaviour. When asked which logistics services had seen increased demand compared to 2025, on-demand or same-day deliveries came out on top by a significant margin, cited by 44% of respondents. This was followed by multi-stop deliveries at 22% and fixed-price moving services at 15%.
The range of items being delivered reflects the diversity of Singapore's SME landscape. Furniture and household goods top the list at 33%, followed by home appliances and electronics at 28%, food and groceries at 25%, and documents and files at 22%. From retail and e-commerce businesses to food and beverage operators and creative services providers, the need to move goods quickly and reliably is a common thread, and one that cuts across both the type of goods and the size of vehicle required.
For businesses managing this variety of delivery needs, flexibility matters as much as speed. And for most, that flexibility needs to come at a price that makes sense.
As delivery needs grow more varied and more urgent, SMEs are also being deliberate about cost. Price and reliability top the list when Singapore SMEs choose a delivery partner. 70% named affordable pricing as their most important factor, well above every other consideration. Safe delivery came second at 52%, followed closely by both transparent pricing with no hidden fees and delivery speed at 42%.
This combination of speed, reliability and cost control points to what SMEs need most from a logistics partner, not just the ability to deliver fast, but the confidence to do so consistently and within budget.
Alex Lin, Managing Director, Lalamove Singapore said, "What stands out from this survey is not simply that SMEs are adopting more technology, but that the window between a customer request and the expectation to fulfil it is getting shorter. A digital process can happen in seconds, but the product still needs to physically move from one place to another.
On-demand logistics gives SMEs the room to respond to that pressure without taking on unnecessary fixed costs. When demand spikes or an urgent order comes in, having access to the right vehicle and support at short notice makes a real difference to how a business is able to show up for its customers."
As Singapore SMEs prepare for 2027, Lalamove remains committed to giving Singapore SMEs the delivery capacity they need, when they need it as business demands continue to evolve.