Australia is a nation of shoppers, who purchase from online and bricks and mortar stores, flock to shopping centres, prefer discount department stores, and on average spend more than $1000 a month on a range of consumer goods, according to the latest Emma (Enhanced Media Metrics Australia) Product Insights Report.
More than three quarters (78 per cent) of Australians have shopped online ever, while 86 per cent have been to a shopping centre in the past four weeks.
Grocery items are our most popular purchase, with an average of $141 spent in supermarkets per week. Over the past four weeks, Australians spent an average of $104 on clothing, $101 on furniture/homewares, $96 on electrical goods, $83 on hardware/gardening, and $77 on IT products.
The 54,000 strong Emma survey shows results in the data on a range of products, lifestyle attitudes and behaviours. The reports will be released monthly on a range of topics relating to consumer behaviour.
“Our Emma research found that although the Australian wallet has been stretched by the GFC, which curbed discretionary spending, there is still a strong appetite to shop, with consumers embracing both online and bricks and mortar stores with equal fervor,” Ipsos MediaCT MD, Simon Wake said.
Australians named Westfield centres the most popular bricks and mortar shopping destination in several cities.
In Sydney, shoppers flock to the CBD, with the QVB and Westfield topping the list. In Melbourne, the fashion mecca of Chadstone and Westfield Doncaster are most popluar, while in Brisbane shoppers head to Westfield Chermside and Carindale. In Adelaide Westfield Marion is the centre of choice, while Galleria is a favourite in Perth.
The most popular of the major stores among shoppers are Bunnings, Big W, Kmart, Target, and Officeworks.
When it comes to online shopping, seven in 10 Australians have shopped domestically, with 61 per cent shopping on overseas sites.
Among Australians, those earning more than $80,000 a year and tertiary educated shop online most. Those aged 30 to 44 topped the list of online shoppers, at 87 per cent of males and 85 per cent of females.
Australia’s biggest spenders are 30 to 60 year olds earning $80,000-plus per annum. They represent the top 33 per cent of spending per month, with an average spend of $1900 per month.
“There are still big spenders in the Australian market, with a strong intention to buy goods in the next six months across the retail sector,” Wake said.
“This group holds strong appeal for marketers because they have the means and desire to spend their income on a more regular basis than the general population.”
The full report can be found here.
