The video store is still alive and kicking, according to the latest figures from the Australian Video Rental Retailers Association (AVRRA).
Figures show 56 per cent of the population rented 39 million movies from their local store while Hollywood studios have shown the Home Entertainment category totals to $1.8 billion in DVD sales to Australian consumers annually.
According to the AVRRA, the Australian lounge rooms have a plethora of “techno-tainment” devices to create the ultimate in-home experience, with over 200 new release films hitting the Australian market over the past summer the video rental store has been key to fuelling the fire of demand for content to use on these devices.
During December and January video rental stores added an extra 933,510 new release DVD and Blu-Ray units to their shelves so that consumers could enjoy their “techno-tainment” systems.
The study also showed total active members that rented in December 2011 and January 2012 was 12.8 million.
“Our members value personal customer service and this has allowed them to grow their customer base, as well as continuing to build their businesses despite the media commentating that the traditional rental store is finished. Technology cannot and will not ever replace or be a substitute for personal customer service” Ross Walden, executive director of AVRRA, said.