2020: A year (like no other) in review

Today we have launched our Consumer Trends report, looking back on the way Aussies shopped and what they were buying in 2020. The report provides an insight into some of the trends that came out of 2020; from embracing our inner child and taking on new hobbies, to a renewed focus on health (physical and mental) and, of course updating our homes to work better for us. To read the report in full, click here.

Family, security and health—those were the values most reflected by Aussie consumers these past 12 months. This year, more than ever, we have seen shoppers choosing reliability and dependability over anything else.

While in 2019 Aussies searched Nintendo Switches, Airpods, books, Kindles, and Lego, a mere 12 months (and a global pandemic) later we turned our searches to toilet paper, face masks, Lego, Nintendo Switches, and more masks.

Many households relied on Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program—a program that enables customers to sign up for scheduled repeat deliveries on products they routinely shop for with the benefit of a 10% discount and free delivery – with an increased number of subscriptions in 2020. Home and Personal Care was the category with the most Subscribe & Save subscriptions, with Huggies nappies being one of the most subscribed to products of 2020, followed closely by baby wipes from brands like Waterwipes and Huggies, proving parents’ focus on the essentials.

Meanwhile, our pets proved to be the beating heart of the family unit during 2020. The top-three brands Aussie animal lovers turned to were Breeders Choice, Felix and Fancy Feast.

From what we wore to what we consumed, Aussies really turned their attention to health and fitness this year.

With local gyms closed for much of lockdown, exercise equipment sales grew six-fold in 2020 versus the same time in 2019. Among the top ten best-selling home gym products were foam rollers, massage balls, pull up bars and lightweight speed jump ropes.

Aussies stayed accountable by purchasing fitness wearables, with Fitbit topping the list as the most popular wearable of 2020 and, specifically, the Fitbit Versa 2 Health & Fitness Watch coming in as the most popular product in the category.

Aussies have proved their everlasting love of activewear and loungewear with the top ten best-selling Fashion brands on Amazon.com.au in 2020 all being much loved active and loungewear names, including Calvin Klein, Puma, Adidas, Nike, Champion, Lorna Jane, Canterbury, Speedo, Rip Curl, and Tommy Hilfiger. After all, a home-grown six-pack deserves the very best!

Aussie kitchens have never seen so much action! With time on their hands, Aussies finally got around to finessing their culinary skills and Cookbooks and books related to food and wine saw serious growth when comparing 2019 and 2020.

Consumers purchased a number of big-ticket kitchen items such as pasta makers and bread makers; both products growing three-fold when comparing 2019 and 2020. Meanwhile, stressed out parents, suddenly working and home-schooling from home, turned to Instant Pot for their multi-tasking cooking needs, with the stainless-steel Duo Nova Electric Multi-Use Pressure Cooker proving the most popular purchase within the category.

Of course, folks didn’t just get their creative juices flowing in the kitchen! Sewing machines saw huge growth and sales in arts and crafts for little kids (and kids at heart) skyrocketed, growing nearly six times in 2020 versus the same time in 2019.

Aussies are always keen to support local businesses, and in 2020 this has been more important than ever. To put small Australian businesses front and centre with customers, Amazon Australia launched its ‘Shop Local’ store featuring products from hundreds of local companies, and new curated collections to connect customers with Australian brands. The ‘Shop Local’ store was front and centre during this year’s Prime Day with the event marking the two biggest days ever for small businesses on Amazon.com.au, with customers shopping from a range of products including sustainable brands such as profits for purpose company in the Pets category, Zenify.

With Aussies spending more time at home thanks to stay-at home orders, it makes sense that so many of us turned to the latest mod cons. This was clearly reflected in the increase in sales of smart home products on Amazon.com.au.

While smart home-tech in the form of security and lighting with products like the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus, Eufy Cam Wire Free HD Security 3-Camera Set, and the Philips Hue Garnea 90mm White Ambiance Downlight featuring as some of the most popular products in this category.

Interestingly, the biggest peak in Office Product sales happened just before the pandemic was declared; with huge growth in January, followed closely by another peak in March and April.

2020 was the year even the busiest Aussies took the time to escape—even when stuck at home. Losing ourselves in music, books, and films was not just a comfort but, for many, a necessity.

In books, Aussie author Scott Pape proved his enduring appeal—topping both the print book and audiobook list—whilst demonstrating a focus on personal finance during 2020. Meanwhile, Children’s book titles were the most popular genre in print books, followed by ‘Spirituality’ and ‘Humour and Entertainment’ genres.

Not even Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, and Harry Styles, three of the top-ten most popular artists by album play of the year could prove as enduring as those artists or albums dedicated to little ones. Desperate parents hit repeat on Baby Lullaby Academy’s ‘The Relaxing Piano’, making it the best performing album of 2020, with Lisa Loeb’s ‘Nursery Rhyme Parade!’ taking the second spot.

Interestingly, the biggest streaming day of the year was post-lockdown; Saturday, October 24—the day after Borat 2 was released.

This was the year we saw a return to old-school classics, with Monopoly, Jenga, and UNO topping the list of most popular toys for adults.

Meanwhile, for the children specifically, nine out of the top ten toys in 2020 were all about unleashing the creative spirit, with much-loved brands Lego and Crayola featuring heavily.

It was a rough year for many of us, and it’s fair to say Alexa was turned to on more than one occasion by home-bound Aussies curious or in need of some light-hearted entertainment.

The increase in Alexa customers engaging with Novelty and Humour skills was 271% in March-June when compared to the same period in 2019. Top Skills included ‘Pickachu Talk’, ‘Ask for a Fart’, ‘Bark Like a Dog’ and ‘Dad Jokes’. For many Alexa customers stuck at home, saying ‘I love you’ to their device, or practicing ‘Small talk’ contributed to a whopping 20 times increase on Skills used within the Social category.

Online Shopping Skills, understandably, had an impressive jump of 9 times more activity with customers making the most of deals via the OzBargain Skill, or utilizing Our Groceries Skill. Even still, there was a 200% jump in Education & Reference with parents using Alexa to help with homework, or customers learning a new language. Productivity Skills that help manage your calendar or set reminders, increased 169% in the March-June period in comparison to last year, so it wasn’t all about entertainment, Alexa helped us with a multitude of things this year.