Have you ever wondered who is reading your catalogue? 74.1% of Australians aged over 14 have read a catalogue within the last four weeks and a further 59.6% have read a catalogue within the last seven days. In fact, 1.9 million people bought something from a catalogue or direct mail offer in the last three months and over 800,000 people bought between two and three items in that period.

The most significant readership of catalogues was demonstrated by mid-socioeconomic status; stronger family-orientated suburban areas with high levels of home ownership and mortgages; a mix of life cycle stages; employed in a mixture of white-collar occupations and trades; and earning mid-range incomes.

Interestingly, data is available across a range of market sectors, enabling retailers to add a new level of sophistication to their catalogue marketing program.

At whom should you target your catalogue?

In the Telecommunications sector, 1.8 million people aged between 14 and 34 intend to purchase a new mobile phone in the next three months. This group is at least 37% more likely to make that purchase than people in any other age bracket. With catalogues and the Internet being identified as the most useful types of media used when purchasing mobile phones or selecting service providers, the opportunities in this area for telcos and retailers are endless.

In the Fast Food sector, people aged 25 – 49 are at least 11% more likely to have eaten food from a fast food outlet than those in other age brackets. 25% of the Australian population have ordered a pizza over the phone in the last three months. 66% of those people fall within high to mid socioeconomic status groups.

For Department and Discount Stores females aged 25 – 64 demonstrate the most significant readership of department/discount store catalogues. Households with an income of $100k+ are at least 45% more likely to have made purchases from a department store within the last four weeks than other households. However, households with an income less than $80k are twice as likely to have made a purchase from a discount store.

In the Supermarkets sector, females aged over 25 tend to be the main grocery buyer, with an average weekly spend at supermarkets from $75 to $200-plus. Weaker Family Orientated Segments spend an average of $20 - $199 a week at supermarkets while Stronger Family Orientated Segments will spend over $200 a week at supermarkets.

In the Furniture, Electrical and Hardware sectors, people aged over 35 are at least 23% more likely to have read a furniture/electrical/ hardware catalogue within the last seven days. The highest readerships also come from retirees and people in mid to low socioeconomic status groups. Over the next 12 months, approximately 1.7 million Australians intend to purchase a new plasma or LCD television, the majority of those being males aged 14 to 49. These people are most likely to be working full time and have a household income of over $100k.

In the Clothing industry, 10.5 million Australians have been to a clothing store within the last three months. 3.5 million went two or three times within that period. Capital cities, particularly in NSW and WA, are much more likely to have read a clothing catalogue within the last seven days. Females are twice as likely as males, while people aged 14 to 24 and 50+ are at least 44% more likely than people in other age groups.

Households with an income between $20k and $40k are much more likely to have read a clothing catalogue than households in other income brackets, while people working full time are at least 46% less likely. Females aged 14 to 49 demonstrated the largest amount of clothing purchases within the last four weeks prior to the survey commencement. Part-time employees are at least 33% more likely to have made clothing purchases during that period.

Regarding Books/Stationery, people aged 14 to 24 and 50+ demonstrated a high readership of books/stationery catalogues within the last seven days. People within these age groups are at least 48% more likely than those in other age groups. Retirees are at least 26% more likely, particularly than those working full-time. However, the most significant readership was demonstrated by low socioeconomic status – weaker family and disadvantaged groups.

For Toys, women between 25 and 35 are at least 43% more likely to have read a toy store catalogue within the last seven days. The unemployed are also at least 30% more likely, particularly than those working full-time or retirees. Households most likely to have read a toy store catalogue have an income of between $20k and $40k and/or two adults in the household. The most significant readership was demonstrated by low socioeconomic status – weaker family and disadvantaged groups.

For Chemists, women aged 50+ years are most likely to have read a chemist catalogue within the last seven days. Retirees are at least 28% more likely to have read a catalogue. The most likely households to have read a catalogue have an income of $20k – $40k. Low socioeconomic status groups and the disadvantaged demonstrated the most significant readership.

So the proof is in the statistics when it comes to the impact of catalogues on consumer buyer behaviour. With detailed data about the impact of catalogues on buyer behaviour and advanced customer segmentation available, it is time all retailers started looking into how they can better use catalogues to drive sales.

For more information on the information provided above or to arrange a meeting to discuss how segmenting and targeting your customers can help drive profits in your business, please contact James Diamond from Salmat Targeted Solutions by phone on (02) 9612 8140 or email or your Salmat representative.