Information is crucial for online Australian shoppers according to the latest Nielsen consumer report.
The 18th edition of the annual Australian Connected Consumers Report found nearly all online Australians have used the internet to purchase something, with one in four buying items every week.
Most people shop online during the day, which peaks between 6 and 10pm, with a smaller peak at the beginning of the work day. However, the report says that shoppers aged 60 and over are most active between 9am and 12pm. This means retailers need to customise their message to make sure they target the right person with the right message at the right time.
The use of mobile phones to research products while in-store has increased significantly, with over half of online users researching and comparing prices before making a purchase. Therefore retailers should develop online sales processes and marketing campaigns that are more conducive to mobile devices, says the report.
Further, two-thirds of online Australians use some form of contactless payments in shops, an increase of six per cent compared to 2014. The wider adoption of this payment method may pave the way for the mobile wallet—i.e. tapping your mobile phone for payments—however half of the respondents said they still had some concerns regarding security.
The report concludes that the shopper journey has become more digital, from reviewing products online at home to using smart phones as personal assistants in store. Nearly six in 10 consumers will look at an item in-store, but ultimately buy it online instead.
With consumers easily shifting between online and offline retail channels and demanding plenty of information at hand, the report advises that retailers and manufacturers must understand consumer behaviour to ensure they appeal to both online and offline shoppers to get maximum results.
By Marion Gerritsen
