Summary
In Australia’s 2026 retail landscape, consumers aren’t retreating from digital commerce—they’re simply demanding more from it. Against a backdrop of economic pressure, with cost-of-living concerns shaping sentiment, shoppers are trading frequency for discernment. While online shopping is deeply embedded across generations, growth now hinges on trust, continuity, and earned engagement. Mobile is a given, but seamless movement across devices—and recognition throughout—is the new baseline. Owned channels like email and SMS remain trusted touchpoints, while tolerance for interruptive tactics like paid retargeting continues to wane. Australians are open to AI-enhanced experiences, but only when these tools act with restraint, transparency, and clear benefit. For brands, the imperative is clear: shift from volume-driven outreach to relationship-led strategies that honor attention and build trust. In this cautious yet connected market, the winners will be those who understand that relevance—and respect—are the new engines of growth. HERE
Australia enters 2026 in a period defined less by disruption and more by sustained pressure. Cost-of-living concerns remain front of mind for consumers, shaped by persistent inflation, elevated interest rates, and ongoing economic uncertainty. To better understand how these dynamics are influencing shopping behavior, Wunderkind surveyed Australian consumers to explore how they plan to shop, engage with brands, and evaluate digital experiences in the year ahead.
The result is the 2026 Australia Consumer Insights Report, which reveals a market that hasn’t stepped back from digital commerce — but has become far more selective. Online shopping is firmly embedded across generations, yet expectations around relevance, control, and trust are higher than ever. For Australian brands, growth in 2026 will not come from broader reach or louder messaging, but from delivering experiences that respect attention and earn permission.
Digital Is Embedded — but Expectations Are High
Online shopping is firmly established across Australian consumers, particularly among Millennials and Gen Z, who shop online multiple times per week. Older consumers continue to participate regularly but with more deliberate intent, prioritizing trust and clarity over frequency.
This isn’t a market pulling back, it’s a market paying closer attention.
Mobile Is Mandatory
Smartphones are nearly universal among Australian consumers, making mobile performance a baseline requirement. But like other mature markets, desktop and tablet usage remain important for research-heavy and confidence-driven purchases.
Consumers expect to move seamlessly between devices without losing context. Identity-driven continuity is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s an expectation.
Trust Lives in Owned Channels
Australian consumers place the most trust in brand-owned environments and established retailers. Email and text remain the most trusted re-engagement channels, precisely because they are opt-in and controllable. Paid retargeting ranks lowest, reinforcing growing resistance to interruptive advertising.
Opt-in is earned through clear value — free shipping, loyalty rewards, exclusive access — and sustained through frequency control.
AI Is Welcome, But Restraint Matters
Australian consumers are open to AI-powered personalization, particularly younger cohorts. But enthusiasm is conditional. Messages that are poorly timed, overly frequent, or insufficiently explained erode trust quickly.
The expectation isn’t more AI, it’s better decisioning. Consumers reward brands that use intelligence to suppress noise as much as deliver opportunity.
What Winning Looks Like in 2026
Australian brands that outperform will be those that shift from campaign-led thinking to relationship-led execution. That means treating attention as finite, using identity to create continuity, applying AI to improve relevance, and practicing restraint as a competitive advantage.
In a cautious but stable market, the brands that grow won’t chase volume. They’ll earn loyalty by respecting the consumer.
To explore the full findings and see what this means for your brand, read the full 2026 Australia Consumer Insights Report.
