The days of waiting for the mail to arrive so you can browse the Coles catalogue to find the latest deals will soon be a thing of the past, as the supermarket moves to an online magazine instead.
For years Aussies have been delivered the weekly catalogue to their homes, with many using it as the basis for their shopping list, to save them both money and time when they get to the store. But, this week Coles announced it will be cutting this service after noticing more people have been turning to the internet to browse the sales.
The major supermarket is launching coles&co, a brand new online platform that will offer the very best specials alongside exclusive content to inspire customers, with new products, tips and recipes. It’s a big change for Coles, but according to Chief Executive Officer Steven Cain, a move to digital is what Aussies want.
“With Covid-19, we’ve really seen a shift to online shopping in the last few months, as lots of our customers try our contactless home delivery click and collect services for the first time,” he said. “We’ve also seen an increase of more than 50 per cent in readership for our digital catalogue since March.
“We are living at a time of unprecedented societal change, including a surge in the diversity of consumer tastes and dietary needs. As customers add more fresh food to their diet they’re shopping more often, and their appetite for immediacy and digital information means a weekly, one-size-fits-all, catalogue in their letterbox is no longer as relevant for them as it once was.”
And they’re not waiting around to make a change either. From September 9 Coles will no longer deliver printed catalogues to letterboxes around Australia. However, there will still be a significantly reduced volume of printed weekly catalogues available in store – so some good news for those who like to have a physical copy.
Cain said this is both to keep in line with customers’ wants and help cut down the impact on the environment.
“We’re committed to being Australia’s most sustainable supermarket and reducing our reliance on paper by prioritising digital channels like coles&co is a significant step towards that goal,” he said.
However, while some may be excited by this news, for others it’s a little disappointing. Most Baby Boomers would have eagerly awaited the catalogue landing in their letterbox, especially due to their money conscious habits. You can save big when you know the deals for the week and can plan your meals around what’s on special.
Of course, there are those who despise catalogues and have the “no junk mail” message stuck to their letterbox – but, for the over-60s these people are few and far between. It’s not all doom and gloom though. The new service does sound pretty handy if you’re quite internet savvy.
“We’re using our digital capabilities to replace it with something more personalised,” Cain said. “As we add new features, this could include recipes that change daily rather than weekly, as well as tailored content on food and drink trends.
“We will be investing more in digital content and capability for customers and suppliers, as well as better value by lowering the cost of breakfast, lunch and dinner, and improving our sustainability by reducing our reliance on paper.”
Coles&Co features ‘shoppable’ specials, allowing customers to do their shopping right from the screen. All you have to do is tap on a product to add it to your basket, and then check out via the online shopping services – or save it as a shopping list to take with you when shopping in store.
Coles chefs and other contributors, including customer favourite Curtis Stone, will eventually provide new content every day, including tips and tricks on how to make the most of in-season fruit and veggies, and recipes for quick, simple and healthy meals to help customers eat better while saving money.
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