CONSUMER PULSE
The national mood has declined this month with a rise in negative emotions; overall, purchase consideration across all major purchasing categories is down; and excitement for summer, free-to-air TV consumption and Australians move towards a cashless society is fuelling opinions and conversations.
Consumer Pulse surveys over 2,000 national respondents spanning Nine’s TV, digital, print and talk radio audiences. The monthly survey canvasses the thoughts, purchasing intentions and mood of the nation, to better inform and educate marketers on how they can reach and engage Australian audiences.
Inside this month's Consumer Pulse dip: 4-7 August, 2023
Mood of the Nation
Purchase Consideration
Conversation Starters
Mood of the Nation
The national mood has declined this month with a rise in negative emotions outpacing positive. The upswing in net negative sentiment is a result of people feeling more anxious when compared to the previous month and the same time last year.
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Dominant mood indicators
Relaxed, calm, anxious and hopeful are the top four emotions currently being felt by around a quarter of Nine’s audience. Aside from a rise in people feeling anxious this month, fewer are feeling calm, hopeful and safe. Hopeful has seen the steepest decline compared to a year ago.
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Purchase Consideration
Clothing is the top purchase consideration for the month (24%) followed by an international holiday (22%) and a domestic holiday (20%), although all three categories have declined since May 2023. Overall, purchase consideration across all major purchasing categories is down three percentage points from last quarter.
Top 5 Major Purchase Consideration Categories - As of 7th August 2023
Clothing
A holiday outside of Australia
A holiday in Australia
Gardening, landscaping, plants
Wine
Conversation Starters
There is a real opportunity for brands to tap into some of the themes fuelling opinions and conversations this month.
Summer Vibes
Around a third of Nine’s audiences plan to exercise, go to the beach, entertain friends and family, or go to the movies, bars/restaurants this summer. Equally, another third expect to spend more time at home this summer as opposed to going out.
Come summer, around one in four of Nine’s audiences plan to spend money on experiences (e.g. museum, zoo), fashion, clothing and accessories, gardening, tools and home hardware, and airline tickets and accommodation.
Brand consideration
With excitement for summer increasing, there is plenty of opportunity for brands to tap into holiday aspirations to help turn consumer desire into action.
Free-to-air TV, most popular this summer
Free-to-air TV will be the most popular media consumed during summer for 79% of Nine audiences; higher than TV streaming services (71%) and websites/search engines (65%). Close to 8 in 10 expect their free-to-air TV consumption during summer to be similar to other times of the year, while 6% anticipate watching more free-to-air TV during summer.
Brand consideration
Brands must consider free-to-air TV in their media plan, in order to reach engaged audiences at scale. Think of ways your brand can stand out to grab consumer attention.
The move to a cashless society
Australians are adopting contactless payments at a fast rate. Around a third of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age readers claim to use cash less than 20% of the time and one in four claim to never use cash. Only 5% use cash all the time.
Brand consideration
A great opportunity for brands to think about ways their business operations can help consumers move towards a cashless society.
Tell your story in and around the content we know consumers are engaging with most
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