CONSUMER BEHAVIOR – AUSTRALIA

McDonald’s, KFC, Hungry Jack’s, Domino’s Pizza and Subway are Australia’s favourite restaurants

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-Aug-26

New research from Roy Morgan shows that 19.2 million Australians aged 14+ (82.5%) ate takeaway food in an average six months in the 12 months to June 2026. This is up by 1,204,000 (+6.7%), since 2021-22 when 18 million Australians ate take away food, although it is equivalent to an 85% share of the population. Analysing the leading quick service restaurants by generation shows that Millennials are the biggest customers of all three of the leading fast-food outlets – McDonald’s, KFC and Hungry Jack’s – narrowly ahead of the younger Generation Z. Older generations have fewer customers of fast-food outlets, but McDonald’s remains the leading choice for Generation X, Baby Boomers and the Interwar generation, while the ubiquitous hamburger restaurant narrowly has the edge amongst the youngest Gen Alpha. The research also shows that on average Australians make 3.8 visits to quick service restaurants in an average four weeks, up slightly from 3.7 times a year ago.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED, KFC, HUNGRY JACK’S PTY LTD

Roy Morgan forecasts Australian Retail Sales to hit $40 billion a month for the first time in August

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-Aug-26

New forecasts from Roy Morgan shows that monthly Australian Retail Sales are set to reach $40 billion in August, up 6% on a year ago. The three categories driving growth are Household Goods (forecast to grow 8.8% to almost $6.7 billion), Hospitality (set to grow 6.2% to over $5.9 billion) and Other Retailing (projected to grow 7.5% to over $7 billion). The Clothing category is forecast to grow 5.7% to over $3 billion, while the slowest growth is predicted for Department Stores, up 2.3% to $1.66 billion. The largest category is Food with expected sales of over $15.6 billion in August, up 4.6% on a year ago and representing 39% of all forecast retail sales in August. The fastest retail sales growth by State is set to be in Western Australia with an increase of 7.2% on a year ago to total retail sales of over $4.8 billion in August, just ahead of South Australia, up 6.4% to over $2.6 billion.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

More than 3.4 million Australians attend live theatre, ballet or opera, led by people in Sydney and Melbourne

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 29-Jul-26

New data from Roy Morgan shows that more than 3.4 million Australians (14.7% of Australians aged 14+) attend live theatre, ballet or opera performances in an average three months. The latest data for the year to March 2026 is unchanged from a year earlier, but above pre-COVID levels from 2019-20. Almost 3.1 million Australians (13.2%) attend live theatre in an average three months, unchanged from a year ago. Meanwhile, ballet and opera attendance reached 694,000 Australians, up 63,000 (+10%) from a year ago. The longer-term trend shows that the live performance market has largely recovered from the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in terms of overall attendance. Over the past two years, numbers have remained relatively stable, with the latest figure showing 200,000 more Australians 14+ attending live theatre, ballet or opera compared to pre-COVID level in March 2020. The rebound in numbers is partly due to the population increase seen since COVID-19. In fact, the percentage share of Australians attending live theatre, ballet or opera in the 12 months to March 2026 (14.7%) is down 0.7% points from the 12 months to March 2020 (15.4%).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

End of Financial Year (EOFY) sales spending growth stalls as households tighten budgets

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 16-Jun-26

End of Financial Year sales remain one of Australia’s most significant retail events; however, EOFY spending is forecast to grow by just 1.9 per cent this year – well below inflation. The research from the Australian Retail Council and Roy Morgan shows that around 6.1 million Australians (26%) plan to shop during EOFY sales this year, with total spending expected to reach $10.7bn. The most popular categories this year are clothing, footwear and accessories (34%), household appliances and white goods (15%), and electronics and technology products (12%). Australians aged 35 to 49 are expected to spend an average of $1,464 during the EOFY sales, compared with $1,946 for Australians aged under 35 and $1,993 for those aged 50 to 64. Despite participation remaining steady, around three million Australians who spent during last year’s EOFY sales do not currently plan to participate in 2026. This ARC-Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with a nationwide cross-section of 5,276 Australians aged 14+ from 28 May to 1 June.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN RETAIL COUNCIL

13.6 million Australians now use AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Canva Magic Studio and Claude

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Jun-26

New research from Roy Morgan shows that 13.6 million people (equivalent to 58% of Australians aged 14+) used Artificial Intelligence tools in an average four weeks in the March 2026 quarter. OpenAI’s ChatGPT is clearly the most popular AI tool, with 10.5 million Australians (45%) using ChatGPT. Google Gemini is the second most used AI tool, used by 5 million Australians (21%); usage of Gemini represents the active use of the tool, rather than the embedded use that comes with using Google Search. Microsoft Copilot follows closely behind Google Gemini, used by an estimated 4 million Australians (17%). Well behind the big three are Canva’s Magic Studio, used by an estimated 1.4 million Australians (6%), while Anthropic’s Claude is used by an estimated 777,000 Australians (3%). Analysis by age shows that 74% of Australians aged 25-34 and 72% aged 35-49 use AI tools, the highest usage of any age groups. This is followed by people aged 18-24 (68%) and 14-17 (66%). In contrast, only 50% of people aged 50-64 and just 31% of people aged 65+ use AI tools.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Diesel ute sales fall off a cliff as fuel prices bite

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Original article by Ryan Cropp
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 6-May-26

Data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the Electric Vehicle Council show that China’s BYD was the second-highest selling brand in Australia during April. The figures show that fully electric vehicles accounted for one in six new car sales for the month, with large diesel utes and four-wheel drives bearing the brunt of rising fuel prices. Sales of the Toyota HiLux fell by 31 per cent year-on-year, while Ford Everest sales were down more than 29 per cent. Sales of petrol cars overall fell by 30 per cent in April, while diesel vehicle sales were 21 per cent lower. In contrast, sales of BYD’s Sealion 7 electric car rose by more than 139 per cent year-on-year.

CORPORATES
FEDERAL CHAMBER OF AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES, ELECTRIC VEHICLE COUNCIL, TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION AUSTRALIA LIMITED, FORD MOTOR COMPANY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BYD COMPANY LIMITED

Top end of town turns to bargain brand Anko

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Original article by Carrie LaFrenz
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 6-May-26

Wesfarmers-owned Kmart now sells more than one billion Anko-branded items in Australia each year. Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott has told the Macquarie Australia Conference that more affluent consumers are now buying Anko products, and they are increasingly trusting the quality of the home-brand range. Scott added that Kmart’s new marketplace is "performing exceptionally" and offers more than 100,000 products. Scott noted that any additional increases in official interest rates are likely to put pressure on household budgets, although he says Wesfarmers’ core retailing businesses will perform well in such an environment.

CORPORATES
WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Buyers steer clear of petrol as more electric vehicles hit the road

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Original article by Sam Irvine
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 8-Apr-26

Data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the Electric Vehicle Council shows that a record 15,839 electric vehicles were sold nationwide during March. Electric vehicles comprised 14.6 per cent of new cars sold in March, with EV sakes rising to a record market share for a second successive month. FCAI CEO Tony Weber expects Australians to continue to embrace EVs until the Iran war ends, but he adds that it is too soon to know whether the trend will be sustained over the long-term. The figures also show that new car sales fell by 2.6 per cent overall in the year to March

CORPORATES
FEDERAL CHAMBER OF AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES, ELECTRIC VEHICLE COUNCIL

Temu and Shein still the headline disruptors in 2025

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Mar-26

New data from Roy Morgan shows that established mass retailers Bunnings, Kmart and Big W remain dominant and stable in 2025, with modest growth in shopper numbers year-on-year (2% for Bunnings, 3% for Kmart and 1% for Big W). Meanwhile, online marketplaces Temu, Shein and Amazon have registered strong shopper gains; Temu had 5 million Australian shoppers in 2025 (17% growth year-on-year), Shein had 2.9 million Australian shoppers (up 28%) and Amazon gained 500,000 shoppers (up 6%). In contrast, legacy online retailers like eBay and Kogan, as well as major department stores Myer and David Jones, are losing shoppers as they struggle to compete with value-focused retailers and online marketplaces, reflecting shifting consumer preferences toward lower prices and more convenient shopping experiences. Roy Morgan estimates that Amazon, Temu, and Shein collectively generated close to $12 billion in retail sales in 2025, reflecting an increase of over $2 billion compared to 2024.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED,BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED,KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED,BIG W DISCOUNT STORES,TEMU,SHEIN,AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED,EBAY AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND PTY LTD,KOGAN.COM LIMITED – ASX KGN,MYER HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX MYR,DAVID JONES LIMITED

Big four banks cash in on zero interest

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Original article by Max Aitchison
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 21-Jan-26

Analysis by Jarden shows that customers of Australia’s four major banks hold a combined $320bn in transaction and business accounts that do not pay any interest. This equates to about 10 per cent of each of the four major banks’ total deposits, and nearly 20 per cent of the estimated $1.7trn in deposits held by all of the nation’s lenders. Jarden’s analysis also shows that the four big banks’ implied earnings from zero-interest accounts have risen sharply in recent years. Matt Wilson from Jarden says the major banks have benefited from customer loyalty and inertia in recent years; he adds that this may change in 2026, and customers may begin seeking better deals for their bank deposits.

CORPORATES
JARDEN GROUP LIMITED