Catalogue volumes grew by 10 percent this Christmas, comparing volumes in December 2015 to December 2014, according to Salmat.

The biggest increase was in NSW with 18 percent growth, followed by Victoria and Queensland with four per cent growth each.

Sarah Pike, Chief Marketing Officer at Salmat said catalogue was the advertising medium of choice this Christmas.

“Many Australian retailers increased their investment to capitalise on the expected increase in consumer spending this season,” Ms Pike said.

“A bulk of our catalogue growth came from existing catalogue clients, as they are the ones that know just how cost-effective this channel is for acquiring news customers and converting sales. Catalogue has always been a favourite for Australian retailers and consumers alike, and this new data points to a continuation of this trend.”

Retailers also increased their investment in digital catalogues. Many brands are now using digital platforms to extend the life of a catalogue through digital catalogues, while expanding distribution to social media, electronic direct mails and Google product search.

Research by the 2014/2015 Australasian Catalogue Association Industry Report shows catalogues reach more Australians than any other medium. Around 19.7 million Australians read catalogues compared to 16.4 million for newspapers, 8 million for TV, 10.1 million for radio, and 13.8 million for magazines.

Catalogues are also proven to be highly engaging and with 77 percent of Australians having read a catalogue in the last month.

Around 80 percent of people reading catalogues are ‘just browsing’, however, 59 percent of those do end up buying.