Aussies prefer digital shopping catalogues as they declutter their lives
Almost 4 million Australians are using digital catalogues alone rather than hard copy versions saying they are a useful tool and stress-free way to window shop, according research from Roy Morgan.
There’s no denying Australians love a catalogue with 93 per cent reading a physical or digital version. However, recent research reveals there’s been a rapid uptake of digital catalogues with 3.8 million or 18.5 percent of Aussies exclusively reading them via a digital platform this is an increase of 76 per cent when you compare the same statistics from a 2017 report.
According to digital platform ShopFully the shift from hard copy to digital catalogues is just the next natural step for Australians.
“Just as we have seen habits change when it comes to consuming video and music through streaming platforms, more Australians are now turning to digital platforms to view their much-loved catalogues,” ShopFully Australia Manager Dean Vocisano said.
“We really think this shift is a natural progression from physical to digital consumer habits,” explains Mr Vocisano. “It’s not only more convenient, it’s a matter of sustainability with more people aware of the impact of the overuse of materials such as paper and plastic.”
In recent months, having seen consumer habits change, ShopFully has developed and launched a new proprietary technology which leverages on first party data of its app users and partners with third party networks to finds look-alikes that enables its retailers and brands to reach more than 11 million Australian shoppers nearby their stores and optimising to increase footfall based on real-time analytics.
Australian retailers who have so far partnered with ShopFully to house their digital catalogues on a single platform include: Coles, Big W, The Reject Shop, Telstra, and Harris Scafe to name a few.
“We have seen a definite spike in ShopFully users in Australia since we launched here in 2016,” says Mr Vocisano. “To be successful it is crucial to understand how Australians shop and now that we have created this relationship with our shoppers (in 2018 we monitored 1.4 billion product interactions, and 80 million store visits, with triple digit growth rate compared to the previous year), the company has decided to accelerate its growth plan in Australia with important investments in technology, innovation and continued acceleread app growth.
“This Roy Morgan research highlights the need for retailers to carefully consider their marketing budget as we can now safely say digital catalogues are becoming a preference for Aussies.”
About 80 per cent of those surveyed by Roy Morgan said they read digital catalogues to discover new products and 69 per cent said it was a stress-free way to browse or window shop. For some, inspiration for new gifts was key (68 per cent) while reading a digital catalogue was also a way to relax and unwind (38 per cent).
Meanwhile, 80 per cent of people were also likely to tell a friend about what they say in a digital catalogue, with 4.6 million Australians or 46% of readers emailing or texting a picture of a product to friend or family member.
“Digital catalogues certainly make it easier for people to pass on information and have less physical clutter in their lives which is also an important emerging trend,” Mr Vocisano said.
