Young consumers still fans of real life stores, Commonwealth Bank research shows

YOUNG Australian consumers are turning their backs on internet shopping, saying they prefer real stores, new research has found. Here’s why.

YOUNG Australian consumers are turning their backs on internet shopping, saying they prefer real stores.

Despite being born into the digital age, more than half of those aged 16 to 21 still like to visit bricks and mortar shops, especially for clothes and shoes.

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A Commonwealth Bank study also notes one in four consumers say they regularly research in-store before purchasing goods online such as recreational gear, household appliances, car parts, homewares and even groceries.

“Although they make one in three purchases online, Gen Z consumers also express a stronger preference for real-world shopping then either Gen X or Gen Y, with 54 per cent saying they prefer to visit a bricks and mortar store over an online channel,” the report says.

Tech savvy young consumers are combining digital with in store shopping.

“They’re drawn to retail destinations that offer virtual kiosks and apps to help them browse and find what they’re looking for.”

The Retail Insights report found traditional stores were still most preferred across all generations, with 60 per cent overall favouring them.

Much of the future growth in online and mobile sales “is likely to be driven by older generations, with younger shoppers seemingly approaching saturation point online,” the report states.

“Although those aged 22 to 35 still make the highest proportion of online purchases (34 per cent), it is those aged 70-plus who expect to generate the fastest rate of online sales growth over the year ahead (rising 18 per cent).”

The analysis was based on national online surveys of 1531 shoppers and 506 retail decision-makers in July.

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