17 Australian customer stats you need to know
Australian shoppers have figured out how to tune you out. They scroll past ads without a second thought, they sit with a decision longer before committing, and they’re protective of who they hand their data to. None of that is new, but it’s getting sharper.
What’s less obvious is that the same people who are harder to reach are spending more with brands that earn their trust. And they’re more open to AI and digital discovery than most marketers expect.
We surveyed 1,000 Australian consumers for our latest Customer trend index report, to find out how they find new brands, how they want to be contacted, what tips them into buying, and what makes them stick around. The findings break down across four areas:
- How they find you
- How they want to hear from you
- What gets them to buy
- What keeps them coming back
Here’s what every Australian marketer needs to understand right now.
How they find you
1. In-store browsing is still the number one discovery channel (60%)
60% of Australian shoppers discover new brands by browsing in-store. It’s the top discovery channel across every income bracket and most age groups. Physical retail isn’t dead; it’s still where the majority of first impressions happen.
If you’re a brand with a retail footprint, your in-store experience is a marketing channel. If you’re digital-only, it’s important to remember your competition isn’t just another website; it’s also the shop floor.
2. Word of mouth comes in a very close second (56%)
Friends and family are the second-most-influential brand discovery source overall. For Gen Z, word of mouth actually beats in-store browsing entirely (62% vs 49%). Peer recommendations are outpacing paid media among younger consumers because the channel is informal, but the influence it has is real.
If you want significant growth with Gen Z and Millennial audiences, referral programs and shareable experiences are a big opportunity. Make sure you build them deliberately and not as an afterthought.
3. Search engines matter most for Gen X (57%)
Gen X relies on search engines more than any other generation to discover new brands (57%). Millennials aren’t far behind at 51%, and even Baby Boomers come in at 45%.
If you’re not showing up in search for Gen X queries, you’re invisible to more than half of that cohort before the conversation even starts. Despite the disruption caused by AI, SEO is still a necessity for brands wanting to be discovered organically.
4. Influencers are essential for connecting with Gen Z (45%)
Nearly half of Gen Z consumers (45%) say they discover brands through influencers or creators. That drops to 33% for Millennials, 19% for Gen X and just 4% for Baby Boomers. Gen Z shopping trends are driven by creators in a way that simply doesn’t apply to older generations.
The gap between Gen Z and Baby Boomers here (a 41 percentage point difference) is one of the starkest generational splits in the data. Influencer budget should reflect where it converts. If your audience skews under 45, creator partnerships belong in your core strategy, not your experimental budget.
5. AI shopping assistants are gaining ground, especially with younger consumers
11% of Australian customers say they use AI assistants like ChatGPT or Gemini to discover new brands. That number climbs to 18% for Gen Z and 16% for Millennials.
Among frequent AI shopping users (those who use it “often” or “always”), Gen Z leads at 42%, and Millennials aren’t far behind at 35%. Just 5% of Baby Boomers fall into that category.
AI as a discovery channel is still early-stage overall, but it’s already the default for a significant slice of Gen Z. Optimizing for AI discoverability is a different discipline from SEO, and the window to get ahead of it is now, while the field is still relatively open.
6. 31% of Australian consumers have discovered a new brand via AI in the last 6 months
Almost a third of the market has already used AI to discover a brand. For Gen Z, that number is 56%. For Millennials, 52%. As Gen Z and Millennials age into their peak spending years, AI-assisted discovery is only going to grow as a customer behavior trend.
Brands that start building their AI presence now through structured data, review volume, and content that answers specific questions will have an advantage in the future.
How they want to hear from you
7. In-store (54%), email (47%), and the brand websites (46%) are shoppers’ preferred contact channels
When it comes to engaging with brands they already follow, Australian shoppers consistently rank in-store first, then email, then the brand website.
Email holds its ground as a core engagement channel across every demographic. It’s one of your most direct ways to communicate with your audience, so if the channel isn’t working the way you expect, you may need to examine what you’re saying and how you’re saying it.
8. Mobile apps matter most to Gen Z and students
While overall mobile apps are the channel of choice for 25% of customers, that jumps to 44% for Gen Z and 50% for students. For younger consumers, the app isn’t just about convenience; it’s often their primary relationship with a brand. The experience inside it shapes whether they stay or go.
If your audience skews younger, your app experience might be a major differentiator. A clunky app can frustrate people until you lose them to a competitor whose app works better.
9. Most Australian consumers want to hear from you weekly or monthly
34% of Australians prefer weekly contact from brands they follow. Another 34% prefer monthly. Gen Z is the most receptive to frequent contact, with 45% happy to hear from brands weekly. Baby Boomers want a slower pace, preferring monthly contact (34%), and they show the lowest appetite for daily emails (1%).
Generational segmentation and varying send frequency alone are quick, high-impact changes you can make to improve email performance.
10. 67% of Australians say brand communications feel “just right”
Most Australian customers aren’t feeling overwhelmed or underserved by brands’ personalization efforts. But among those who do want more personalization, Gen Z (27%) and Millennials (24%) are most likely to feel like communications miss the mark. Students (30%) and unemployed consumers (28%) are also underserved.
For the segments most likely to become long-term customers, Gen Z and Millennials, the miss rate is meaningfully higher. If your highest-growth audience segments feel like your marketing doesn’t speak to them, that’s a retention problem waiting to happen.
11. Only 12% find marketing messages“very relevant” to them
The gap between “somewhat relevant” and “very relevant” is the personalization opportunity hiding in plain sight. Most brand communications land somewhere in the “somewhat relevant” category, with only 12% fo customers feeling like brand messages are “very relevant”. The difference between them is whether you’re giving someone what they need in the moment, like a price drop on something they’ve been browsing, or a recommendation that actually fits.
To build strong relationships that result in repeat purchases, you need to respond to give customers what they need, before they think to look for it.
What gets them to buy
12. Australians are considered buyers, not impulse buyers (49% vs. 13%)
Nearly half (49%) of Australian consumers describe most of their purchases as considered, while they just say their buying behavior is impulse-led. Impulse-led shopping is notably higher in the US (23%), the UK (19%), and Singapore (15%). Australians are also more likely to identify as considered buyers than consumers in the US (43%) and UK (41%).
This means shoppers here are taking their time. They’re comparing, reading reviews, and thinking it through. Long-form comparison content, detailed product pages, and genuinely useful reviews are driving real conversions. If your content strategy is built around impulse triggers, it’s no longer matching how most Australians actually make purchase decisions.
13. For impulse buys, friends and family recommendations drive conversion (50%)
Half of all impulse buyers say a recommendation from friends or family is what tips them over the edge. Timely emails (38%) and social ads (34%) follow closely behind. SMS is notably effective, especially for Gen Z, at 37%, while influencer posts also help to convert 37% of Gen Z impulse shoppers.
Even impulse purchases aren’t entirely random; for Australian shoppers, they’re often socially triggered. So while only 13% of shoppers mostly make impulse purchases, you can still trigger spontaneous decisions with a timely, automated email or an SMS at the right moment to close the gap between browsing and buying.
14. Free and easy returns are the number one conversion driver for undecided shoppers (43%)
When someone’s on the fence, free and easy returns are the most powerful push for 43% of Australian shoppers. A discount or free delivery is close behind at 39%. Customer reviews follow at 36%. Post-purchase loyalty rewards come in fourth at 25%.
Scarcity and urgency messaging (like “selling fast” or “last one in stock”) only works for 16% of all consumers, but climbs to 26% for Gen Z and 24% for Millennials, so use it selectively.
Removing perceived risks that come with online shopping converts more Australians than price cuts. People want the reassurance that, if it doesn’t work out, the return process won’t be painful. If your returns policy is buried in the footer and your product pages lead with countdown timers, you may be using the wrong conversion tool. Make your returns policy visible, clear, and simple, as it’s doing more to drive conversions than most brands give it credit for.
What keeps them coming back
15. 72% of shoppers rate product quality as the loyalty driver
72% of Australians rate having the best products as the most important loyalty driver. Customer service is a close second at 54% and is tied with friends and family recommendations. Loyalty programs come in third, with 51% calling them an essential reason to return.
Product quality is the foundation of customer loyalty, but customer service and loyalty programs are what brands can actively build on top of it. Two of the top three loyalty drivers are squarely in a marketer’s control. Timely, well-automated customer service communications like order updates, post-purchase check-ins, and proactive responses go a long way toward creating experiences that last with customers. And with loyalty programs influencing half of all Australian shoppers’ decisions to return, having a scheme in place goes a long way towards driving repeat purchases.
16. Free shipping and returns tops the loyalty reward wishlist (58%)
When it comes to what customers actually want from loyalty programs, the answers are practical:
- Free shipping or returns (58%)
- Freebies, gifts, and samples (50%)
Birthday and anniversary rewards (50%) - Cashback (49%)
The most-wanted loyalty reward is the same thing that converts undecided shoppers. Australians want the friction of cost and returns removed, and they’ll stay loyal to brands that do it consistently. Loyalty programs that lead with points and tiers but don’t address shipping and returns may offer rewards that customers don’t find compelling enough to convert.
17. 41% of Australians have spent more with a brand because of its loyalty program
For Gen Z, that figure hits 69%, and Millennials come in at 57%. Higher-income households (58% for those earning above $90,451) are also more likely to increase spending in pursuit of the next reward tier.
Last year’s customer survey for the Loyalty divide found that only 8% of consumers globally said they’d spent more because of a loyalty program. Australian shoppers are clearly genuinely responsive to loyalty programs and are willing to spend more if the rewards are right. Loyalty programs don’t have to be complicated. Think about what you can offer customers at the right moments: rewards for repeat purchases, perks that feel personal, reasons to come back that go beyond a discount code.
How does this impact your marketing strategy?
A few things stand out in the data:
- Discovery is cross-channel, but digital is growing fast in younger cohorts
- Email remains a core engagement channel across all demographics
- Personalization is expected but rarely delivered to a “very relevant” standard
- Loyalty programs have a real commercial impact
- The path to conversion for most Australians runs through considered decision-making, not impulse.
It’s time to stop trying to talk to everyone in the same way, at the same time, with the same message. Segmentation and personalization will help you earn the trust you need to make a sale. And it’s trusting your brand that makes customers more likely to share and recommend you in the future.
For a deeper dive into global customer trends, check out our full report, the Customer trend index 2026/27.
