Panic buying could put GDP in positive territory for March

Original article by Matthew Cranston, Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 23-Apr-20

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that retail turnover increased by 8.2 per cent in March, driven by panic buying in response to the coronavirus. Sales of canned food, medicinal products and cleaning goods were particularly strong in March, with turnover rising by 50 per cent month-on-month. Josh Williamson of Citigroup warns that retail turnover is likely to fall sharply in April, due to the impact of lockdowns and social distancing rules. David Plank of the ANZ Bank says the sales boost in March could potentially result positive GDP growth for the first quarter of 2020.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL AND RESOURCE ECONOMICS AND SCIENCES, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

It’s official: Online sources overtake TV as main source of news – for 59% of Gen Z social media is their main choice of news

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Apr-20

New research from Roy Morgan shows that the internet has overtaken TV as the main place Australians turn for their news. Some 12.7 million Australians (60.6%, up 2.8ppts since mid-2018) now use the internet for news. This includes social media (37.6%); news or newspaper websites or apps (29.2%) and news feed sites (16.3%). TV is now used by 12.4 million Australians (59.5%) as their main source of news, down more than 6ppts from 65.6% in June 2018. This comprises free-to-air TV (56.4%, down 5.9ppts) and Pay TV (8.3%). Meanwhile, around 80% of Baby Boomers and Pre-Boomers say free-to-air TV is a main source of news for them, and nearly two-thirds of Generation X (64%) nominate free-to-air TV as a main news source. However, the popularity of free-to-air TV drops away significantly for younger generations. Only 40% of Millennials and 36% of Generation Z say free-to-air TV is a main source of news. In contrast to the older generations, both Millennials (77%) and Generation Z (74%) are more likely to say the internet is a main source of news, ahead of other forms of media.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Inner city Melbourne, Sydney and Perth are the hot spots for meal delivery services UberEATs, Menulog & HelloFresh

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Apr-20

New Roy Morgan research shows that Inner City Melbourne residents (40%) are the Australians most likely to use meal delivery services, just ahead of those in Central Sydney (39%), followed by Central Perth (31%). Other regions with high use of these services include Northern Melbourne (with suburbs such as Preston, Northcote and Coburg), Middle Southern & Eastern Melbourne (including Hawthorn, Malvern, Sandringham and Brighton) and South-West Perth (including Fremantle and Coogee). The data covers the 12 months to March 2020. Overall, around one in five Australians (19%) now use meal delivery services in an average three months, with the top four services – UberEATS, Menulog, HelloFresh and Deliveroo – all growing their market share over the past year. More than a third of Australians living in shared households, and more than a fifth of single parents and young people living with their parents, now use meal delivery services. In contrast, only a tenth of those who live alone use these services. Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine says that even before the COVID-19 pandemic more Australians than ever before were turning to meal delivery services.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

TV networks brace for potential 30 per cent fall in ad revenues despite rising viewership

Original article by Rod Myer
The New Daily – Page: Online : 21-Apr-20

The coronavirus lockdown has prompted a spike in ratings for TV news bulletins as Australians seek information on the pandemic. Think TV CEO Kim Portrate says there has been strong growth in audiences for traditional linear TV, broadcast video-on-demand and subscription video-on-demand services. However, TV networks’ revenue is being hit by a sharp fall in bookings from advertisers; Jane Ratcliffe from Standard Media Index estimates that ad revenue could fall by 25-30 per cent in April.

CORPORATES
THINK TV, SMI MEDIA INCORPORATED

How newsrooms are adapting to report the COVID-19 crisis

Original article by Max Mason, Natasha Gillezeau
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 33 : 23-Mar-20

Australia’s media industry has responded to the coronavirus pandemic by implementing measures to protect staff and reduce the infection’s spread. This includes working from home, splitting staff into several rotating teams and using technologies such as video conferencing. Meanwhile, consumers are turning to trusted sources of information about the virus, with news and current affairs shows dominating the list of the 20 highest-rating TV programs in the last week. The websites of traditional newspaper publishers have also experienced a spike in traffic, while Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor says the online-only publisher’s site had record traffic every day during the last week.

CORPORATES
NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, THE GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA, JUNKEE MEDIA PTY LTD

Criminal charges for food profiteering

Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 20-Mar-20

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton claims that some members of the community are profiteering from coronavirus-inspired demand for groceries. Dutton has warned that people who are found to be buying groceries in bulk in order to send them overseas or to sell them on the black market could face criminal prosecution. Agriculture Minister David Littleproud notes that Australia produces three times the amount of food that is consumed domestically, so there is no need for panic buying.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE AND WATER RESOURCES, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Bunnings, ALDI and Woolworths Australia’s most trusted brands

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Mar-20

Roy Morgan research shows that distrust is one of the most significant, yet least recognised risks to Australian business and society in general. For many people, seeing widespread distrust in action has come as a surprise. But Roy Morgan analysts recognised several years ago that something was building in society which wasn’t being captured by traditional measures. A major ongoing research program revealed the corrosive effects distrust was having. The March 2020 edition of the Roy Morgan Risk Report shows that topping the brands with a Net Distrust Score – where distrust outweighs trust, and in these cases far outweighs it – are Facebook, Telstra and AMP. Mining and Petroleum is the most distrusted industry sector. On the flipside, topping the list of brands with a Net Trust Score – meaning the trust felt toward them outweighs the distrust – are Bunnings, ALDI and Woolworths. Retail is the most trusted industry sector. These insights are drawn from the ongoing Roy Morgan Risk Monitor – based on over 1,000 interviews each month. Respondents are asked which brands and companies they trust, and why, and also which brand and companies they distrust, and why.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, ALDI LIMITED, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW

Australian consumers unconvinced about online retail giant Amazon

Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Mar-20

New Roy Morgan research into online retailer Amazon shows that the shopping giant is well behind on several consumer indicators when compared to other major retail brands. Some 26% of Australians said ‘I’d consider shopping at Amazon’; this compares to 61% for Bunnings, 58% for Kmart, 56% for Big W, 51% for JB Hi-Fi and 35% for eBay. Meanwhile, only 14% said Amazon has good quality products; this compares to 47% for Bunnings, 25% for Kmart, 27% for Big W, 41% for JB Hi-Fi and 14% for online-only auction site eBay. It is worth noting in this context that unlike the others on this list, in addition to selling goods directly Amazon acts as a marketplace for other retailers, while eBay is purely a marketplace. These findings are from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from in-depth face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Australians each week and over 50,000 each year.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, KMART AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BIG W DISCOUNT STORES, JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, EBAY AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND PTY LTD

Grocery delivery delay as online orders soar

Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 10-Mar-20

Online grocery sales rose 45 per cent year-on-year in the four weeks to 22 February, according to Nielsen Homescan data. The surge in demand has been attributed to the coronavirus crisis, with consumers wanting to secure supplies of products such as toilet paper and paper towels. Coles and Woolworths are struggling to keep up with online demand, and Coles is advising consumers to collect orders rather than have them delivered. It is also giving priority to the elderly, the sick and those with special needs.

CORPORATES
THE NIELSEN COMPANY (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW

ACMA report shows Australians are embracing data-hungry tech

Original article by Finbar O’Mallon
The New Daily – Page: Online : 27-Feb-20

The Australian Communications & Media Authority’s annual report has highlight consumers’ growing use of digital technologies. ACMA notes that almost nine in 10 Australians accessed the internet via mobile phone in 2018-19, although fixed internet lines accounted for the bulk of data downloads. Meanwhile, more than half of Australians use Netflix, while one in 10 Australian use at least four streaming video services. The figures also show that online advertising is now worth $8.8bn a year.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, NETFLIX INCORPORATED