A new survey has found that more people now read the ALDI catalogue over Coles or Woolies, however, three out of five merely browse and don’t buy.

The survey by Roy Morgan Research found that in an average week during 2016, 5.1 million Australians (aged 14-plus) read or looked into an ALDI catalogue. For the first time, ALDI’s weekly catalogue reach surpassed that for Coles (4.9 million) and Woolworths (4.8 million).

The weekly reach of Supermarket Catalogues

 

Of course, the bigger issue for catalogue advertisers isn’t simply how many people they reach, but how many readers actually buy something they’ve seen.

On this metric, the clear winners are Woolworths and Coles, with most of their weekly catalogue readers buying something advertised. 52 percent of Woolworths’ catalogue reach leads to a sale (up from 48 per cent in 2013), just ahead of 50 percent for Coles (up from 46 per cent).

ALDI’s reader-to-shopper conversion rate is unchanged over the period at 38 percent, while IGA’s has grown from 36 to 37 percent.

Per cent of readers who buy something advertised in the catalogue

Commenting on the study, Roy Morgan CEO, Michele Levine, said: “Aldi has overtaken Coles and Woolworths to become Australia’s most-read catalogue. More than five million people read an Aldi catalogue in an average week, and 38 percent of them decide to buy something advertised.

“As well as groceries, Aldi also advertises a range of household, sporting and clothing items in  ‘Special Buys’ catalogues and this no doubt plays a big part in its increasing readership. Catalogue readers who don’t necessarily want to snap up a discounted television, garden shed, or snowboard may well be tempted by next week’s sheet set or bar fridge. Many bargain-hunters keep a close eye on catalogues, ready to pounce when the right deal comes along.

“Supermarkets, and all catalogue advertisers, need to pay close attention to how many people they reach, who and where those people are, and what share of the audience decides to make a purchase after reading,” she said.