It appears when we’re on the hunt for info about a particular store or product, we hit the catalogues, according to the Australasian Catalogue Association and a recent study released by ACRS highlighting shopper habits.
The report showed 76 per cent of shoppers at least use catalogues sometimes for making purchase decisions and looking for information.
Some 41 per cent of shoppers use catalogues for general information and 47 per cent use catalogues for price comparisons about non-grocery shopping. Just behind the Internet, catalogues are more likely to be used than in-store when seeking general information and for price comparisons.
“The ACRS data today supports what other research agencies have been reporting, catalogues are a strong performer for retailers. Audience Reach is one of the largest in the country and catalogues perform highly as an activating shopper marketing device assisting in the path to purchase,” said Kellie Northwood, CEO, ACA.
Overall, 89 per cent of shoppers read at least one catalogue a week. Across most age demographics, the majority of shoppers read one to three catalogues per week. In particular, 52 per cent of shoppers aged between 18 and 24 read catalogues one to three catalogues weekly. And respondents aged over 45 tend to read more catalogues per week, with 30 per cent of shoppers aged between 55 to 64 reading over 10 catalogues per week.
“The ACRS research further highlights the personal nature of catalogues with the majority of shoppers reading catalogues at home in the kitchen, followed closely by reading catalogues at home in front of the television”, said Northwood.
“As retailers continue to see sales driven by catalogues, the ACRS behavioural tracking highlighted, on average, shoppers choose to read catalogues to find competitive prices and chase bargains. In the comfort of their own home consumers will often read catalogues for enjoyment and prefer reading catalogues more frequently, with more offers and discounts, as their most preferred style of catalogue.”
