Singapore's total retail sales rose 4.8% year on year in March, following the 8.3% growth in the preceding month, according to data released by the Department of Statistics Singapore on Tuesday.

Excluding motor vehicles, retail sales climbed 3.3% on year in March.

On a seasonally adjusted month-on-month basis, total retail sales were up 3.7% during the month, the data showed. Excluding motor vehicles, seasonally adjusted retail sales rose 3.3% in March.

Estimated total retail sales came in at SG$4.7 billion in March, with online sales making up 15.7% of it, the data showed. Excluding motor vehicles, total retail sales stood at SG$3.8 billion.