70% of Australians purchased clothing, footwear and accessories in bricks-and-mortar stores in the six months to May 2020, new research from Monash University indicates.
In the annual Retail Monitor survey of 500 Australian shoppers, Monash's Australian Consumer and Retail Studies (ACRS) unit found that on average, 59% of total non-grocery consumer spend was made in physical stores, despite COVID-19.
During the period, online marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree grew in popularity as consumers used the lockdown time to clean out their houses, with marketplaces accounting for 10% of consumer spend.
Retailer websites made up 15% of consumer spend, while online only retailers like The Iconic and Kogan made up 11%.
ACRS' Dr Eloise Zoppos said that many consumers became more confident with their use of online channels during the period.
"Many shoppers used online shopping channels like marketplaces for the first time during the shutdown, when physical stores were no longer open.
"And they expect that they will be using online channels more in the second half of the year, suggesting they have become more comfortable and confident in their use.
"But it was surprising to see, especially during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic, that people still visited and trusted physical stores for non-grocery related purchases.
"That should give retailers of all sizes confidence that people still value a personalised shopping experience," she said.
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 49% of consumers said they would continue to shop at physical stores for non-grocery purchases in the next six months.
About 23% said they would go to a physical store less, while 24% said they will use online-only retailers for their purchases in the next six months.
"It’s been a tumultuous first half of the year, but retailers who are nimble, agile and prepared to adapt to new consumer and shopping behaviours, are going to be successful in the long-term," Zoppos added.