15
The Critical Consumer 2024
Age also plays a significant role in preferred channel communications
in the shopping journey:
• Nearly 70% of consumers in the 18-64 age range prefer receiving promotional
information online rather than under 30% preferring print. The latter increases to 47%
for consumers aged 65+, but still highlights the critical role that digital plays across all
age ranges.
It is important for companies to consider this data when tailoring marketing and
promotional strategies, to ensure they invest in the right areas. Preference for physical
leaflets from older consumers is likely due to familiarity and lack of acceptance of
digital alternatives.
We also asked consumers why they prefer shopping online rather than in-store, and
two key themes emerged: convenience and product availability:
• "It's less convenient to go to the store than shop from home" was the number one
choice, followed by "less availability of certain products or sizes" and "narrower
product selection."
• Clothing and consumer electronics were the two most popular categories in online
shopping - two areas where in-store supply can trail far behind online availability and
the size of ranges.
We now turn to online retail purchases. Which of the following retail categories do you already order
online (for home delivery) and how often?
ONLINE RETAIL PURCHASING HABITS ACROSS CATEGORY
Almost always orders online Often order online Sometimes order online Almost never order online Doesn't apply
25.5%
22.0%
26.7%
17.1%
8.8%
Beauty and
cosmetics
10.2%
17.2%
31.9%
26.1%
14.7%
Clothing
16.6%
17.8%
28.8%
22.7%
14.1%
Consumer
electronics
22.4%
36.5%
21.2%
12.6%
7.3%
30.9%
20.8%
25.3%
15.0%
8.1%
28.3%
14.7%
6.5%
20.4%
16.3%
27.5%
22.1%
13.8%
Groceries Home improvement
and DIY
Sporting goods Toys and books
23.1%
27.4%