Amazon Australia has added 1.1 million new customers to its customer base in the year to June 2024, with 7.9 million Australians aged 14 and over now shopping on Amazon at least once a year, according to new Roy Morgan research.
By comparison, David Jones and Target have seen customer numbers decrease 5% and 7% respectively over the last 12 months compared to the previous year, while Big W and Myer are in neutral territory. JB Hi-Fi is the only other retailer to have gained customers, with an increase of 300,000 in the current year.
On average, Australian Amazon shoppers are purchasing six times a year on the platform – almost as frequently as Kmart customers shop at Kmart (with an average of 7.5 times). A large proportion are high-frequency customers, with three in 10 Amazon shoppers making a purchase seven or more times over a 12-month period.
Books, clothing, games/toys, computers and accessories, and small electrical goods are the top five selling categories on Amazon Australia. Many shoppers are looking to Amazon to fulfill different needs buying across multiple categories. Almost one-third (31%) of Amazon customers buy two or more categories and just over one in 10 buy three categories or more.
This is set to expand following recently announced plans to expand into furniture and large electrical via the construction of a new purpose-built warehouse in Sydney in 2026.
A mix of all Australians are shopping on Amazon, however an even split between men (50%) and women (50%) sets Amazon apart from most of its peers which tend to skew towards women.
More than half of Amazon’s shoppers are aged 25 to 39, and their shoppers are more likely than the average Australian to come from higher income households (three in 10 shoppers live in $200,000+ income households).
Roy Morgan head of retail research and social and consumer trends, Laura Demasi said, “At a time where Australian retailers are battling it out for a share of dwindling disposable incomes Amazon’s continued growth is impressive and signals a big change in the landscape.
“The disruptive power of Amazon has been underappreciated in recent years, but this kind of growth trajectory puts all Australian retail brands on notice – especially now given its upcoming expansion into big box retail and the ultra-cheap market.
“If Australia is on track to mirror the US trend, where Amazon accounts for 37.4% of all online spend, our retail landscape could look quite different in coming years.”