A Roy Morgan survey conducted in the lead-up to Christmas found that that more than 70% of Australians aged 14 and over prefer reading printed catalogues.

It also found that 66% of those aged 24-35 prefer print, while 15% prefer online.

Only 11% of Australians read catalogues online, according to the research.

Australian Catalogue Association director Kellie Northwood said the research proved that catalogues are "an indispensable part of the marketing mix".

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"There are great assumptions that the younger generations are more likely to purchase from digital marketing campaigns or online catalogues, however all the global research conducted doesn’t support this," she said.

"People retain messaging and engage more intimately with paper-based communications – catalogues are no different."

Catalogues encourage shoppers to visit stores and also go online to research and buy products, said Northwood.

"Retailers already know the value of catalogues and are now expanding into multi-channel communication plans, leveraging from the strengths of catalogues and marrying with digital communication options," she said.

"Letterbox drops supported by text messages, email campaigns, QR coding and more are delivering the highest return on investment for retailers."

Australian retailers spend about $1.5 billion per year on producing catalogues, which represents about 60% of their advertising spend, according to the association.

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