Despite the fact you may not get as many catalogues in your letterbox as you did ten years ago, they’re still quite the little goldmine, according to new research.

In the latest quarterly ACRS Shopper Report, catalogues were tracked in terms of audience readership, channel usage, channel purpose and drivers of shopping behaviour.

Around 74 per cent of shoppers look to catalogues ‘always to sometimes’ when making purchasing decisions and looking for more info on products.

Despite the obvious surge in online purchasing, the survey also found catalogue purchasing remains stable for the next 12 months, with 71 per cent of shoppers reporting they would use catalogues in the same way they do now, and a further 15 per cent stating they’d like to up their usage.

Forty-two per cent of shoppers use the glossy reads for general info, while 46 per cent use them for price comparisons. Sitting not far behind the internet, catalogues more likely to be used than in-store when seeking product information and for price comparisons.

Digital media indicates the weaker channels in the survey, with social media pulling only 19 per cent for general info and five per cent for price comparison, while tablets recorded 20 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively.

“With an Audience Reach of 19.7M and a national distribution volume of seven billion, the latest ACRS research further highlights the strength of catalogues as a performing print media. The ACRS behavioural tracking highlighted, on average, shoppers choose to read catalogues to find competitive prices and chase bargains,” Australasian Catalogue Association CEO Kellie Northwood said.

“In the comfort of their own home consumers will often read catalogues for enjoyment and prefer reading catalogues more frequently, with an advertorial design, as their most preferred style of catalogue.”

Catalogue readership strengthens as 33 per cent of respondents read at least four to 10 catalogues a month and a further 20 per cent will read 10 or more a month. In total 88 per cent of respondents read at least one catalogue a month.

“The ACRS survey results, as well as other credible research agencies – Roy Morgan Research, Ipsos and Nielsen deliver reputable data outlining the strength of letterbox marketing,” Northwood added.