consumer trends in australia - tony hackett ()

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Consumer Trends in Australia 27 September, 2011 Tony Hackett Blog: http://www.mypublicbrand.com/ Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MyPublicBrand LinkedIn: ttp :// www.linkedin.com/in/mrtonyhackett Facebook: https ://www.facebook.com/mypublicbrand?sk=wall Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/109841685099483397637/109841685099483397637/p osts

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This deck is an aggregation of interesting consumer behaviour data that I have been collecting. Also, I blogged about the value of Slideshare and Earnings Calls' Q&A: http://www.mypublicbrand.com/2012/02/18/slideshare-and-earnings-calls-qa-a-unique-recipe-for-meeting-preparation/ For more, see: www.mypublicbrand.com www.http://tonyhackett.brandyourself.com/

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Page 1: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Consumer Trends in Australia27 September, 2011

Tony Hackett

Blog: http://www.mypublicbrand.com/

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MyPublicBrand

LinkedIn: ttp://www.linkedin.com/in/mrtonyhackett

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mypublicbrand?sk=wall

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/109841685099483397637/109841685099483397637/posts

Page 2: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Executive Summary 4

Consumer Behavior Of Australian Consumers- An Overview 5

Online Pre-purchase Research 7

Multichannel Behavior 8

The In-store Experience … kiosks 9

Online Shopping 10

Mobile commerce 11

6 Multi-channel, Shopper Archetypes 12

Busy Consumer: Implications 13

The Rise of Social Media 15

Social Media User Demographics 16

Social Media User Segments 17

Social Retailing 18

Key Findings for the Consumer Behavior for Online Retail- Australia 20

Banking Habits 22

Table of Contents (1/2 )

Page 3: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Marketing of Debt 23

Community Attitude towards Big Banks 24

Consumer Behavior on Making Payments in Australia 26

The evolution of Payment Patterns 27

Payments by Cards 28

Shopping Behavior in Australia 30

Private Health Insurance in Australia- A snap shot 32

Growth Of PayPal in Australia 34

PayPal-Statistics in Australia 35

Opportunities for PayPal 36

Customer Expectations 38

Key Trends for Online Retail-Australia 39

Online Retailers in response to Consumer's Expectation 40

Amazon in Australia 42

Some Facts Amazon 43

Table of Contents(2/2)

Page 4: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

• The Report contains the consumer behaviour which

• The consumer behaviour has evolved and they look for gaining greater value for the money spent.

They are looking for reliable and trusted brands and they are adopting sustainable living and conscious

purchasing practices.

• The Social media is being capitalized in most of the sectors to attain the customer attention and

expand their reach.

• Facebook and Twitter are the two most reported social media platforms being used, with Facebook

leading the way. Almost half of all retailers (48 %) said they looked to communicate with customers via

Facebook, and 29.2 per cent have communicated with customers in 140 characters or less via Twitter

as of 2010.

• PayPal has seen a considerable growth in Australia. The prime concern for the user while doing an

online purchase is the security concerns. Consumers are hesitant to share their credit card details with

the merchant and Pay Pal solves this problem. Even the online shopping giant Amazon is looking for a

big time expansion in Australia because of the immense potential in the eCommerce there.

• Consumers expect secure and engaging retailing experience even while and after making a purchase

hence retailers need to think of strategies to achieve consumer.

Executive Summary

Page 5: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Confidence of Consumers

impacted by global economic

uncertainty, rising interest

rates, higher fuel prices =

increased costs of living.

Consumers more inquisitive,

cynical, demanding, and

unpredictable.

Consumers spending

extremely carefully,

considering value for money.

Being comfortable in reliable

and trusted brands.

Seeking more engaging retail

experiences.

Adopting more convenient

shopping methods and

channels.

Interacting with other

consumers through new

forms of media.

Purchasing locally grown

and manufactured products

Adopting sustainable living

and conscious purchasing

practices.

Source: www.buseco.monash.edu

Consumer Behavior Of Australian Consumers- An Overview

Page 6: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Busy Consumer & Digital Consumer

Page 7: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Internet has a permanent role in consumer pre-purchase information search.

Ranked as the most important pre-purchase information source due to „ease of comparison”.

Growth linked to technological advancement and smart-phone devices.

Up to 50% of Australians search online prior to purchasing in-store.

Of these 89% spent up to 3 hours researching the product category online prior to purchase.

Those that spent more than three hours researching online (11%), spent significantly more when purchasing.

Online Pre-Purchase Research

Page 8: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Catalogues and Internet have become a popular shopping combination. 80% of shoppers browse

catalogues before ordering online.

Different shopping channels bring distinct value at different stages of the shopping process.

Consumers spend up to 10 times more which generate 25 to 50% more profit, Consumers

demonstrate greater loyalty.

Multi-Channel consumers are more valuable!

86% of US and UK consumers use two or more channels to search for and purchase products

(Burnett Group, 2010)

Consumers increasingly engaging with brands through multiple touch points.

Multichannel Behaviour

Page 9: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Interactive, stand-alone units that enable users to ,serve themselves‟

Minimize loss of customers to the Internet, while boosting sales and service and cutting

operating costs within the store

Consumer appeal due to speed, convenience and a matched flow of information on the

Internet.

Service kiosk transactions surpassed US$775 billion in 2009.Projected to reach US$1.3

trillion in 2013.

Savvy retailers going a step further by equipping staff with hand-held PDAs that give access to product

information, capture customer feedback, enable comparisons and provide information about stock

availability.

The In-store Experience … kiosks

Page 10: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Growth outpaces traditional retail

channels -up to 4-5 times faster.

Attraction lies in immediacy and

convenience.

Some of them as per survey are:

To get better value(68% of

respondents), To avoid

crowds(65%),To avoid

queuing(48%) , To have access to a

wider range of products (46%).

Over 85% of the world's online

population has used the Internet to

make a purchase -up 40% from two

years ago.

79% of Australians shop online,83%

will do so in the next year.

Australian online sales reached

$18.6 billion in 2009

It is forecasted to reach $23.4

billion by 2014 (IBIS World, 2010).

Online Shopping

Page 11: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Mobile phones, smart

phones and PDAs

increasingly help customers

perform daily tasks.

They provide opportunity to

merge mobility, the web and

stores.

1.2 billion people globally

will use mobile commerce

applications by the end of

2012. Australian mobile

market was worth $3.3

million in 2008; and is

anticipated to reach $4.1

million by 2013.

In 2009, more than 25% of

Australians accessed

mobile Internet.25% use

mobile banking and 12%

order goods and

services,41% users look for

information on products and

services.36% look for

suppliers of products and

services. Over 60% would

like to purchase more

through their mobile phone.

Source: www.salmat.com.au

Mobile commerce

Page 12: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

‘Strategic Savers’ ‐greatest level of research, emphasis on finding the best price (29%)

‘Quality Devotees’ ‐focus on quality, loyal to the brands that deliver it (16%)

‘Opportunistic Adventurers’‐love to shop and enjoy the thrill of hunting for bargains and great deals (15%)

‘Savvy Passionistas‟‐who enjoy shopping, have emotional connections to the shopping experience (14%)

‘Dollar Defaulters’‐disengaged, use price to make quick brand decisions (13%)

‘Efficient Sprinters’‐don't enjoy the shopping process, functional shoppers (13%).

6 Multi-channel,Shopper Archetypes

Page 13: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Cost effective convenience is a major consumer concern.

These days it is addressed by the retail offer, from store layout to product design and

packaging. Consumers are seeking multiple shopping channels to streamline and simplify

shopping.

However, Inconsistencies across channels can result in lost customers and revenue, while

positive experiences can deliver customer loyalty and profit.

Mobile phones is a fast growing channel. There has been a rapid growth in online shopping;

61% of consumers say retailers need to offer more flexible online services. Consumers pre-

purchase research online means information on the Internet must be relevant, up to date and

easily accessible.

Busy Consumer: Implications

Page 14: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Digital Consumers

Page 15: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Shift from mass media to

social media, social media

can take many forms.

86% of Australian Internet

shoppers look to fellow

Internet users for opinions

and information about

products, services and

brands

46% value product

recommendations from

friends

85% share information about

their purchases with people

they know

74% are influenced by the

opinions of others in making

buying decisions,

73% agree "people like me"

are the most trusted

sources when making a

purchase

67% are more likely to

purchase more based on

recommendations from

people in a community in

which they actively

participate

The Rise of Social Media

Page 16: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Implications for Retailers

Page 17: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Although a core

group, not only

young

consumers...

36% aged 35 to 54

years

34% aged 25 to 34

years

16% aged 18 to 24

years

7% aged 13 to 17

years

Women aged over

55 are the fastest

growing

demographic!

Social Media User Demographics

Page 18: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Creators 13%• Publish Webpage• Publish or maintain Blog• Upload video or sites like YouTube

Critics 19%Comment on Blogs• Post Ratings & Reviews

Collectors 15%• Use RSS• Tag Web Pages

Joiners•Use Social networking Sites

Social Media User Segments

Page 19: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

“Shopping meets social networks ”.

Following are the observations from ForeSee Results 2010 Social Media Report of (US),:

56% of shoppers who interact with social media websites have elected to “friend” or

“follow” or “subscribe” to a retailer.

More than 50% of online shoppers use Facebook, and of those online shoppers who

engage in social media, more than 80% use Facebook. 49% of respondents who “friend”

or “follow” companies through social media do so to learn about special deals and

options ,45% of users do it to learn about products,5% use social media primarily for

customer support.

However, 60% of retailers do not have a presence on a social networks…85% of Gen Y

shoppers participate in social networking (Price Grabber, 2010)

Social Retailing

Page 20: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Consumer behavior is changing... faster than it ever has.

Multi-channel outperforms single-channel every time

Consumers expect retailers to interact with them with a consistent message across the full breadth of media

consumers are seeking more engaging experiences (both in and out of store)

Consumers are spending more time researching their purchases

Catalogue &online are the dominant research tool, reviews and ratings are the most trusted source of information.

Satisfaction is the key driver of brand loyalty.

Findings for the Consumer Behaviour for Online Retail- Australia

Page 21: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Consumers' Experience on Banking-Australia

Page 22: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

• The nature and structure of the banking sector depends to a large

degree on the individual decisions of millions of Australians about

which institutions to trust with their financial affairs.

• The information presented beside is drawn from a survey of 1,360

adults conducted by The Australia Institute in March 2010.

• As Table 1 shows, survey respondents reflected the profile of the

retail banking market, with most respondents (70 %) saying they did

most of their banking with one of the big four banks. 14% reported

using another bank, while another 15 % banked with a credit union.

Younger people (76 %of 18 to 24 year olds) were more likely to bank

with one of the big four than older people (61 % of those over 55

years).

• Respondents who banked with one of the big four were asked

whether they had ever considered switching to another bank (not

one of the big four) or a credit union. Roughly half (49 %) had

considered switching to another bank, while 41 % had considered

switching to a credit union; together, 57 % had considered switching

to one or the other. Viewed another way, fully 43 % of people

banking with one of the big four have never considered switching to

a smaller bank or credit union.

Banking

Institutions/Age

18-34 35-54 55+ Total

One of the big 4

banks

76.4 % 71.7% 60.8% 69.6

Another Bank 14.8% 13.8% 13.8% 14.1%

A Credit Union 6.8% 13.3% 24.1% 14.8%

Other 1.9% 1.2% 1.4% 1.5%

Total 100% 100% 100 % 100%

Base = 1,360 Respondents

Source: Research by The Australia Institute 2010 by Josh Fear, Richard Denniss and David Richardson

Banking Habits- Research Data of 2010

Page 23: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

As per the survey, 2 in 3 respondents (66

%) reported receiving an unsolicited offer

for a new credit card in the past 12

months, while one in two (49 %) had

received an unsolicited offer to increase

their credit card limit.

36 % had received an offer for a personal

loan, and 18 % had an offer to increase

the available credit on their home loan.

Such unsolicited offers, which can come

by post, by email, in a bank branch and

even in a public place such as a shopping

centre, were by no means restricted to

those on substantial incomes.

While people on higher incomes were more

likely to receive such offers, the marketing

of debt among people on low incomes is

clearly widespread. For example, one in

three people in low-income households had

received an offer of a personal loan in the

past year without seeking one out.

Source: Research by The Australia Institute 2010 & Reserve Bank of Australia

Marketing of Debt

Page 24: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Among those who banked with one of the big four, respondents who had never considered switching to a smaller bank or credit union were more likely to believe that bigger profits equal more safety than those who had considered switching. Around a quarter of big-four customers apparently do not interpret recent bank profits as evidence of overcharging; on the contrary, they see such profits as evidence they have chosen a ‘safe’ bank for their funds.

Younger people were much more likely to believe that a bank with big profits is safer. People who banked with one of the big four were also more likely to hold this view, suggesting that perceived ‘safety’ is a factor in their choice of financial institution.

The survey also asked respondents for their views on whether its profits affect how ‘safe’ a bank is. 19 % said that it is safer to deposit money with a bank with bigger profits, while 4 % said that a bank with smaller profits is safer. Most respondents (=67 % said neither—profits make no difference to how safe a bank is.

Survey findings indicate that most Australians do not believe that the highly concentrated structure of the banking market is desirable. 72 % agreed that the big four banks in Australia have too much market power, while only 13 % disagreed. People who did their banking with a smaller bank or credit union were more likely to believe that the big four have too much market power.

Source: Research by The Australia Institute 2010

Community Attitude towards Big Banks

Page 25: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Consumer behaviour towards the Mode of Payment

Page 26: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Transactions up to $50 accounted for around three-quarters of the number of payments in 2010, but only one-fifth of the value of payments. By contrast, only 0.1 % of transactions were more than $5 000, but they accounted for more than one-fifth of the value of payments.

Given this, it is not surprising that cash continues to be the most widely used payment method in Australia, accounting for 62 % of all payments made by Australian consumers.

Cards are the dominant payment method used for mid-sized transactions and are the second most frequently used payment method for all payments. BPAY, internet/telephone banking and cheque are important payment methods for higher-value transactions (particularly those above $500), although these payment methods collectively account for less than 10 per cent of the number of payments.

Roy Morgan Research in December and November 2010

Consumer Behaviour on Making Payments in Australia

Page 27: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Although the broad patterns of payment behavior have remained unchanged, the use of different payment methods has evolved to some degree in the period between surveys.

Most noticeably, the relative use of cash declined. Although the average use of cash actually increased slightly between survey periods, the increase was less than for other payment methods .Therefore, the share of cash use in the total number of payments decreased from 70 % in 2007 to 64 % in 2010 .

Card payments are responsible for the bulk of this shift away from using cash for low-value payments: card payments accounted for around 24 per cent of payments under $50 in 2010, up from 19 per cent in 2007. To a lesser extent there has also been some substitution to other electronic forms of payment, such as BPAY; the industry with the largest decline in cash use was household bills, where ‘paperless’ billing, which encourages electronic payment, has been promoted increasingly in recent years.

Roy Morgan Research in December and November 2010

The evolution of Payment Patterns

Page 28: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

As per the Survey there has been

relative decline in cash use. The

average number of card payments

made by each respondent in a

week increased from around 3.5

payments to 4.8 payments. This

was largely driven by strong

growth in the use of debit cards.

Within debit cards, growth was

particularly strong for payments

on MasterCard/Visa debit cards.

This likely reflects the wider

issuance of these cards by the

major banks in the period

following the first survey.

By contrast, growth in the use of

credit cards has been subdued

over the past three years. One

reason for this preference for

debit cards may be the increased

prevalence of surcharging on

credit card transactions between

survey periods.

The Reserve Bank first introduced

reforms to remove surcharging

restrictions in 2003, leading to a

steady increase in surcharging by

merchants over time. This has

resulted in a greater prevalence of

surcharging merchants in 2010,

compared with 2007.

However, consumers have

become better at avoiding credit

card surcharges, in part by using

payment methods that do not

attract surcharges. Indeed, the

proportion of payments on which

consumers actually paid a

surcharge remained virtually

unchanged between the studies,

at around 5 per cent.

Roy Morgan Research in December and November 2010

Payments by Cards

Page 29: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Shopping Behaviour in Australia

Page 30: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Australian Shoppers, especially those aged under 30 and with a credit card, are sending $4.2 billion a year to overseas online retailers, robbing local bricks-and-mortar shops of business.

On the consumer side, bank surveys have shown that this trend is facilitated mainly by two important developments. First is the enhanced security of online payments. A recent PayPal survey reports that in the early days, 95 % of internet shoppers expressed strong reservations about the safety of online transactions. More advanced payment technologies have, however, recently increased consumer confidence in making online purchases. Second is access to credit cards and other forms of online payment. Research shows that more than half of internet sales are finalized using credit cards.

In the economic literature, there are formal models of consumption behavior that have been used to explain this trend towards increased internet consumption. First of these is the Transaction Cost Economic (TCE) model, which basically says that a transaction subject will choose one form of transaction channel instead of others because of lower transaction costs. Applied to internet shopping, which is essentially a choice between the internet and traditional stores, consumers are thought to choose the internet channel because of the lower transaction costs. Lower transaction costs necessarily includes the money costs of the good or service purchased but also refers to convenience gained by the purchaser in the process.

The second model is the standard economic model of competition, and clearly complements the TCE explanation. The internet acts mainly as a mechanism that reduces consumers' costs of acquiring information about products and prices. Before the online age, someone looking to buy a fridge, say, might have gone into one or two local shops — and perhaps rung a few more — to compare prices. The web, however, makes it easy to gather more information.

Source: education.theage.com.au/cmspage.php?intid=152

Shopping Behaviour in Australia

Page 31: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Health Insurance-Some Insights

Page 32: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Private health insurance plays an important part in delivering Australians access to world-class care. Last year private health funds paid $12.4 billion in benefits towards the healthcare of the 11.7 million Australians with private health cover.

By proposing to means-test the 30% Rebate, the Minister for Health and Ageing will make healthcare less affordable for all Australians, and by her own admission, add more pressure to our public hospitals.

The Minister’s press release of today fails to point out that the estimates of the effect of the Medicare Levy Surcharge changes on private health membership were based on the original 2008 Budget proposal, which was altered significantly in the Senate in October 2008.

The Minister herself at the time of the altered legislation passing said “the projection of the number of people from Treasury that will drop out of health insurance is just under half a million, 492,000 people”.

The Minister is being deliberately misleading in what she is choosing to tell Australian health consumers about those changes then and what will happen to our health system if the means-testing legislation is approved by the Parliament.

www.ahia.org.au/news/media_releases/“no-minister of May 2011

Private Health Insurance in Australia- A snap shot

Page 33: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

PayPal-Growth in Australian market

Page 34: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

PayPal in Australia has over 3 Million active users and over 30,000 Australian businesses as of 2010 now using PayPal as a secure way to send and receive money online. PayPal is capitalizing on the growing Australian eCommerce market with the number of customer registrations growing more than 25% in the last calendar year.

The total payment volume for PayPal in 2009 was almost US$2 billion, an increase of 32 per cent from 2008, demonstrating rapid growth as consumers and businesses seek fast, safe and secure ways to shop online.

In addition to domestic growth, PayPal has enjoyed a growth in cross border sales. The recent rise in the Australian dollar has brought about a year on year increase of 32 % in cross border payments as Australians seek bargains and choice from overseas, and take advantage of the strong dollar.

Conversely, PayPal opens the door to Australian businesses seeking opportunities to sell products or services to overseas markets. With more than 84 million active accounts in 190 markets and 24 currencies, PayPal enables global eCommerce.

Jonathan Reid, Director, MyCatwalk.com, an online Aussie fashion boutique and PayPal merchant commented: "Building revenue from overseas is critical to our business and PayPal has definitely helped us to grow our business abroad.

Over the past 5 years, several factors have been responsible for the slower uptake of e-tail amongst Australian consumers. While the cost of shipping, long delivery times and uncertainty around returns policies have prevented some consumers from shopping online, concerns around the security of transactions remains the top concern to consumers shopping online today.

James Stevens, CEO and Founder, Roses Only, one of Pay Pal's first merchant partners in Australia, commented: "We integrated PayPal the minute it was available in Australia. Delivering a gifting service, it is critical that our customers feel confident that their payment is secure.

Source: http://www.paypal-education.com.au/media/news_22042010.html

Growth Of PayPal in Australia

Page 35: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Approximately 50% of PayPal's

Australian transactions are related to

eBay purchases.

"Travel sites have very much

benefited from PayPal," said Frerk-

Malte Feller, Managing Director of

PayPal Australia, for example by

making it easier for people to book

from overseas.

PayPal is fast growing and some of

the compelling reasons are:

It provides a way of paying without

sharing credit card details with the

vendor (even if the payment is

actually coming from a credit card),

reducing the security exposure.

It is simply easier to make a PayPal

transaction than it is to enter a 16-digit

card number, expiry date, security code

and cardholder's name.

While consumers are more than

ready for e-commerce, but retailers

have lagged. The range of goods

available is not very impressive

(where are the fashion, house and

garden, and sports goods? he

pondered), "and the prices aren't

very attractive" especially when

shipping is extra.

Source: http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/development/38516-paypal-australia-sees-growth-in-mobility?start=1

PayPal-Statistics in Australia

Page 36: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

The other area showing promise for PayPal

is mobile transactions. The company has

provides an API allowing developers to

embed payments into apps for the iPhone,

Blackberry, Android and other platforms,

and Feller thinks this will be used in ways

"we haven't imagined yet.

The PayPal report, which was conducted by Forrester Research and

Leading Edge, reveals that despite Australians' slow approach to

eCommerce, online retail is a booming market with turnover expected

to reach $36.81 billion per annum by 2013.

Travel and groceries remain the largest two

online markets, taking up $4.9 billion this year,

followed by appliances and home

improvement, set to reach $2.6 billion this

year. Other major categories include computer

tech at $2.5 billion and apparel at $1.4 billion.

(2009)

PayPal also warns that dedicated

eCommerce stores and Multichannel

retailers are suffering from some big issues

including the high price of postage and

content management, resulting in lower

inventories than bricks-and-mortar stores.

In fact, 38% of respondents said competition

from low-cost online retailers would be the

biggest threat to profitability, especially

those overseas. A separate 32% claimed a

lack of skilled staff will hurt, followed by 25%

who claimed the price and performance of

marketing would be harmful. About 20%

said logistics and delivery issues would hurt

profitability.

Source: http://www.mypaymentsolutions.com/2010/11/online-retailers-urged-fix-logistics-problems-australian-ecommerce/ &http://www.itwire.com/it-industry-news/development/38516-paypal-australia-sees-growth-in-mobility?start=2

Opportunities for PayPal

Page 37: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Retailing-Some Facts & Strategies

Page 38: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Retailers want their brand name to engender positive feelings among the general public. In a crowded, competitive

and increasingly global market place, differentiation is becoming vital.

Across the study the quality of customer service is highlighted as a driver of customers that does not focus on

price, closely followed by after purchase service. Store location and in-store merchandising are also recognized as

having significant impact.

“Customer service is critical as customers return as they know they will be given one-on-one help compared to that

of other stores.” one retailer said.

Facebook and Twitter are the two most reported social media platforms being used, with Facebook leading the way.

Almost half of all retailers (48 %) said they looked to communicate with customers via Facebook, and 29.2 per cent

have communicated with customers in 140 characters or less via Twitter.

Customers rate their retailing experience on certain parameters. They are: Quality of Customer Service while

purchase, Quality of Customer Service after sales, Store location, In-store merchandising and other displays, Store

design and fit-out, Window display .

Source: http://www.businessofretail.com.au/2011_Report/public/pdf/2011_report.pdf

Customer Expectations

Page 39: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

The third is the integration of digital into traditional retailing. So things like interactive store experiences, bringing technology into the traditional retailing environment

The second is the use of social media, so people referring to friends and family when talking about brands and products."

The biggest one by far is the growth of mobiles, for accessing the internet and buying products.

Source: fetchoscaraccessories.bigcartel.com/why-shop-online

Key Trends for Online Retail-Australia

Page 40: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

The third and final piece of advice is around convenience, which feeds back into the growth mobiles and smart

phones. "You need to allow that people can buy your products anywhere, at any time," Stephen Foxworthy says. This

is especially important given the dollar is now at parity and people are looking at buying overseas.

Online retailers need to start filling their sites with ways to communicate with friends and family through social

networks. One needs to be offering the possibility to rate and review products, and consumers should be allowed to

share your products on social networks.

The confidence between a consumer and an online site has to be built. One needs to give consumers the confidence

to buy online when they can't touch the product or can't see it.“Eg usage of high quality photos, making sure the retail

experience is a high value experience.

Retailers need to make efforts in order to bring many customers online. They also need to enhance the shopping

experience of customers. There are certain areas where the retailers and online marketers need to focus. They are:

Source: Forrester Research and Leading Edge, Comments by Reactive strategy director Stephen Foxworthy http://www.smarttechnology.com.au/blog20101125ecommerce-sales-heads-27-billion-2010

Online Retailers response to Consumer's Expectation

Page 41: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

As online sales soar in Australia, US operator Amazon says that their

Australian business has increased "significantly" in 2010 has reported a

51% increase in sales to $9.91 billion.

On the downside, profits fell 8 percent to $191 million in the second

quarter due to additional investments in infrastructure.

Amazon did not give specific details about sales of its Kindle e-readers in

Australia, but Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos did say the $139 Kindle 3G version

with Special Offers - a version of the Kindle released during the quarter

that is subsidized with ads - is now its top-selling Kindle device.

Jeff Bezos said that "low prices, expanding selection and innovation"

drove the company's second-quarter growth.

This growth means Amazon must keep investing in operations expansions and

upgrades along with moves into overseas countries like Australia and India, in order

to support the proliferation of its online retail business. to rise. Overall, operating

expenses rose 54 % to $9.71 billion.

Source: http://www.smarthouse.com.au/iPods_And_Portable_Players/Industry/K5G9B2X7

Amazon in Australia

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Online shopping giant Amazon. Com has decided to expand into Australia. Amazon’s web services are ready to start operating from a local data centre by early next year to meet the needs of enterprise and government clients.

As the materials are shipped in Australia from other countries, buyers in Australia have to pay a little extra. However, many complaints have not been made regarding this due to the strong domestic currency.

Customers have been taking unfair advantage of the strong Australian dollar and have directed themselves towards online shopping. This in turn has an adverse effect on the local retailers. In the month of July Amazon. COM has also taken over Britain’s Book Depository, which is really popular amongst Australian book lovers as it offers considerably lower .

Amazon. COM has also completely turned around the fashion purveyor, by setting up a members only website, Myhabit.com which offers to its customers international brands such as Dolce and Gabana. A lot of the products purchased via Myhabit.com are available on a 60% discount, the website offers shipping and delivery in more than 50 countries including Australia for only USD 15 flat rate

Source: thecourierpigeon.com.au/amazon-coming-to-australia/852198/

Some Facts -Amazon

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Bibliography

1. The Research facts by Australian Centre for Research Studies-2010.

2. Retail World Management & Technology.

3. Online Retailer

4. CeBIT Australia.

5. Nielsen.

6. eTail2010

7. Reserve Bank of Australia.

8. Australia Institute Research Facts-2010

9. Forrester Research and Leading Edge

10.Smart Technology Australia

11.www.businessofretail.com

Page 44: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

“The information contained in this document that includes text, graphics and links, are provided on an “as-is”, "with all faults" and "as available" basis and are without warranty of any kind. While I depend on sources that are believed to be reliable, it cannot rule out errors in judgment or application. The document is intended for “information” and “general guidance” purposes only.”

“Investment decisions and/or other decisions based on the conclusions and potential strategies mentioned in the document are not necessarily endorsed by My Public Brand Inc. My Public Brand Inc does not represent or warrant that the information provided is accurate, complete or current and will not be held liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of this information.”

Disclaimer

Page 45: Consumer Trends in Australia - Tony Hackett ()

Consumer Trends in AustraliaSeptember 27th, 2011

Tony Hackett

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Email: [email protected]

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