Young go shopping at stores

AUSTRALIA’S young consumers are turning their backs on the internet, saying they prefer “real world” stores.

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

A Commonwealth Bank study also notes one in four consumers say they research in-store before buying 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 than 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 study said.

“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 stores are still most preferred across all generations, with three in five overall in favour.

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.

“It is the aged 70-plus who expect to generate the fastest rate of online sales growth over the year ahead.”

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