Press Releases

Aussies and Kiwis More Web-Savvy than We Think
New Insight into Australia and New Zealand Online Buying Habits

Melbourne, 17 July, 2008 – Coremetrics, a leader in digital marketing solutions, today revealed that Australian and New Zealand consumers are twice as likely to buy products online, when compared to their UK counterparts. With a conversion rate of 4.4 orders per 100 online sessions for Australians and 4 for New Zealanders, the ANZ region sits above the average global conversion rate of 2.96 orders per 100 sessions.

The analysis is based on a six-month benchmarking study undertaken in the US in 2008. The study looked at buyer activity across 72 million e-commerce retail web sessions, with a specific focus on analysing the habits of nearly one million Australian and New Zealand visitors.

Kevin Mackin, general manager for Coremetrics ANZ, offers more insight into the surprising results, “The significantly higher conversion rate of Aussies and Kiwis suggests consumers in the region are much more confident and comfortable with buying online than previously thought.

“The US and UK are thought to be the most tech-savvy, but the conversion rates suggest otherwise when it comes to e-commerce. US consumers tend to place 3.3 orders every 100 sessions, while the UK only place an average of 1.7.

“The question this raises is; are ANZ businesses capitalising on this enthusiasm? It seems that we’re only just beginning to think about search engine optimisation, when really we need to focus equally on engaging and retaining site visitors. It’s OK to attract them to your site but it’s what you do with visitors once they arrive that’s going to make or break the sale.”

Interestingly, the participating businesses that enjoy the lengthiest visits from consumers are the ones engaging consumers with relevant content, including third party references and recommendations. These sites were also experiencing a higher number of page views, demonstrating a strong ability to hold people’s attention by capitalising on the more engaging Web 2.0 technologies.

The global average for length of visit is 7.5 minutes, which reflects the average ANZ consumer buying habit. Australians sit close to the average number of pages viewed per session too, with 9.1 pages, while New Zealanders fall just below the average at 8.6.

“Another point to consider is that while Aussies are consistent with the average viewing time of 7.5 minutes per session, UK and US shoppers are making their decisions 1-1.5 minutes faster. There’s strong reason to believe that this indicates a more considered online buying approach from ANZ consumers – an excellent reason to enhance the ’stickiness’ of your site today,” concludes Kevin Mackin.

Results at a Glance:

  Global Average   Australia   New Zealand   US   UK   Singapore
 

Average Session Length

 7:34 mins   7:30 mins   7:38 mins   7:34 mins   6:08 mins   6:54 mins  
                   
 

Page Views Per Session

9.3

  9.1   8.6   9.4   8.1   9.2  
                   
 

Average Order Value

 US$78.69   $54.76   $48.46   $73.99   $76.59   $111.23  
                   
 

Orders Per 100 Sessions

 2.96   4.4   4.0   3.3   1.7   1.0  
                   

Coremetrics Benchmarking
The data in this study came from an extension of the Coremetrics benchmarking capability – LIVEmark. Coremetrics is the only marketing optimisation company that bundles a website benchmark for retail and specific sub-verticals and behavioral analytics within a single interface. Coremetrics LIVEmark leverages aggregate performance data across more than 300 participating brands to deliver more than 35 benchmark metrics addressing performance indicators such as campaign and channel effectiveness, site stickiness and conversion rates.

About Coremetrics
Coremetrics is the leading provider of digital marketing optimisation solutions. Its solutions generate high return on online marketing investment and continue to pay daily dividends in improved marketing performance. Over 1,000 online business sites, transacting over $15 billion this year, are now using Coremetrics’ Software as a Service (SaaS) solution to optimise online marketing efforts. Coremetrics’ solutions encompass advanced online analytics and precision marketing applications, including search engine bid management, email marketing and cross sell applications to acquire customers more cost effectively, increase conversion rates, and increase lifetime customer value. Clients have recognised over $300M in documented ROI and 87% of clients recognise ROI in 12 weeks or less. The company is privately held with funding from 3i, Accel Partners, FTVentures, and Highland Capital Partners, is headquartered in San Mateo, California and competes with Omniture and WebTrends. In Australia, Coremetrics is based in Melbourne. To learn more about Coremetrics, visit www.coremetrics.com.au or call (Aus) 1800 69 CORE or (NZ) 0800 69 CORE.

Coremetrics has strongly supported online privacy since its inception. To learn more, visit www.coremetrics.com/company/privacy.php.

Media and Analyst Enquires:
Frances Ward
Solid Ink Communications
Tel: +61 (0)413 789 335
Email: frances.ward@solidink.com.au

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