Ecommerce platform Squarespace has released a study in partnership with YouGov which provides new insights into the digital behaviours of Australians over the past year.

The survey reveals the increased importance of online experiences over in-person ones and found that across generations, Gen Z respondents (65 per cent) are the most likely to believe that their online presence is an extension of their physical persona and 58 per cent of Millennials are more likely to remember the colour of a website than the colour of someone’s eyes.

How you represent yourself online has never been so important. In fact, the survey found that 38 per cent of Gen Z feel an online presence says the most about a person. A strong online presence is also crucial for the success of businesses today. Almost all Australians surveyed (82 per cent) agree they wouldn’t engage with a business on some level without checking them out online first. This includes booking a restaurant or a hotel, buying a product or applying for a job.

The research also revealed insights into entrepreneurialism in Australia. It found that when starting a business, Australians surveyed are more likely to sell a service (22 per cent) rather than a product (12 per cent). This includes teaching a class, providing advice or offering up expert skills.

“The findings of this study show that some people are basing real-life decisions, such as who they date, where they eat and what they buy on what they see online. The survey suggested that Australians visit more than 3,200 websites in a year on average and are more likely to remember the last website they visited than their own tax file number,” says Kinjil Mathur, CMO, Squarespace. “It’s clear that it has never been more important for brands and individuals to consider how they present themselves online.”

Following the e-commerce boom, having a strong digital presence has never been so important to the success of businesses. Squarespace has announced a series of new product features and improvements to help businesses make a good impression online. The features are focused on helping customers sell anything online — including physical products, digital content, classes, appointments and reservations.

Full survey findings:

Online impressions matter:

• More Australians remember the last website they visited (46 per cent) than their tax file number (14 per cent).

• 65 per cent of Gen Z believes their online presence is an extension of their in-person persona.

• Most Millennials say they can remember the colour of a website better than the colour of someone’s eyes (58 per cent).

• 38 per cent of Gen Z say someone’s online presence says the most about a person.

• Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to say they wouldn’t go on a first date unless they could look up information about them online (57 per cent and 49 per cent).

• 60 per cent of Millennials say that a business isn’t legitimate unless it has a well-designed website.

• Two thirds (67 per cent) of Australians look up people online, with Gen Z the most likely generation to do this (90 per cent).

• Almost four in 10 (38 per cent) Australians who look up people online look up their exes online.

• When meeting someone new, Australians (40 per cent) are more likely than Americans (32 per cent) to look them up that same day.

• When encountering a business with a well-designed website, half of Australians say they are more likely to shop at a business again (51 per cent), and that they find the business more credible (49 per cent). Additionally, one in five say they are willing to spend more money there (21 per cent).

• Australians (82 per cent) are generally more likely than Americans (76 per cent) to look up business websites online before doing things.

How we browse the web:

• On average Australians who browse websites online, visit nine websites per day, that’s over 3,200 a year.

• Aussies are multitaskers – 82 per cent of Australians like to do other activities while browsing websites online and they are watching TV (52 per cent), listening to music (49 per cent), and eating food (48 per cent).

• Six in 10 Australians who browse the internet say they spend more time browsing websites than they do brushing their teeth (60 per cent) and having sex (57 per cent).

• Gen Z is the most likely generation to say they spend time browsing the internet while in bed (80 per cent), while Millennials are the most likely generation to say they browse websites online while travelling (21 per cent).

The new ‘Digital Entrepreneur’

• One in five (22 per cent) Aussies say if they started their own business, they would provide a service (e.g. teaching a class, offering advice, painting, babysitting, tutoring).

• While one in 10 say they would sell a physical product (e.g. makeup, coffee, cleaning supplies) (12 per cent), a digital product (e.g. e-book, music, photos, content) (10 per cent), or start a restaurant/bar/café (10 per cent).

• Gen Z and Millennials are more likely than Gen X and Baby Boomers to say they would sell a digital product (17 per cent and 16 per cent compared to seven per cent and two per cent).

• Men are almost twice as likely as women to say they would sell a digital product if they started their own business (12 per cent compared to seven per cent) while women are more likely to say they would open a store/boutique (nine per cent compared to five per cent).

• Americans (70 per cent) are more likely than Australians (65 per cent) to say that they would start their own business.

About the research 

This study was conducted online by YouGov between the 19th – 22nd of August 2021. The sample consisted of a nationally representative sample of 1,032 Australians aged 18 years and older. Following the completion of interviewing, the data was weighted by age, gender and region to reflect the latest ABS population estimates.