It’s that time of year when we can start analysing the best and worst the year had to offer. Amazon, which launched in Australia exactly 12 months ago tomorrow, has released its top sales and 2018 Consumer Trends Report Highlights.
And by the way, Amazon’s personal milestone is that for the first time the number of Australian sellers reaching customers on Amazon.com.au totals almost 10,000. Another was the the arrival of Alexa and the launch of fulfilment by Amazon in February, the launch of the Global Store in May, the launch of Prime in June and their first ever Australian Black Friday sale event which went off with a bang.
So what did we find out about Aussies? Well they love gaming, with Nintendo the top selling brand.
The top 10 most popular video games from Amazon Australia in 2018 were:
- Red Dead Redemption II
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild
- FIFA 18 PS4
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Marvel’s Spider-Man (PlayStation 4)
- Super Mario Odyssey
- God of War
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch)
- CALL OF DUTY: WW2 PS4
- FIFA 18 XBOX ONE
On Amazon’s first Australian Black Friday, the top selling deal overall was “Save up to 35% off select Video Games” and Red Dead Redemption II was the best-selling video game.
Across other categories, storage is also important to Aussies, with portable hard drives appearing twice in the Top 10 PC Products.
Our love for superheroes doesn’t diminish as we grow older. Hence, half Amazon’s best-selling Blu-rays are superhero blockbusters, and most of these have been purchased in 4K Ultra HD.
Best-selling Blu-rays:
- Christopher Nolan Collection (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
- Black Panther (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Bonus)
- Avengers: Infinity War (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
- Blue Planet II (4K Ultra HD)
- Deadpool 2 (Blu-ray)
- Thor: Ragnarok (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
- The Lord of the Rings: Trilogy (Extended Editions) (Blu-ray)
- Ready Player One BD (4K Ultra HD)
- The Dark Knight (4K Ultra HD)
The report has also revealed three key trends and looks at the top selling items that fall within them:
- Nostalgia and Embracing Your Inner Child
Nostalgia has emerged as a key trend from the past year, with Aussies encouraging their inner child to flourish through retro games, clothes, toys, and characters. Think Nintendo classic consoles, Mario Cart, LEGO, monopoly, Connect 4 and Operation.
- The Self-Care Nation (Wellness, Fashion and Beauty)
Our obsession with health and wellness has resulted in some interesting sub-trends – wearable tech like Garmin and FitBit products making up almost half of our top 10 best-sellers in electronics.
- The Rise of the Fur Baby
Us Aussies are some of the most devoted pet owners on the planet – about 62 per cent of Australian households own a pet and we’re increasingly spending more and more on our adopted family members. Aussies spend more than $12.2 billion on pet products and services annually and an estimated $490 million on pet insurance.