AUSTRALIANS SPEND A RECORD OF $21.3 BILLION SHOPPING ONLINE

Online purchases continue to grow with more Australians shopping online than ever before. New research from Australia Post indicates total purchases topping $21.3 billion for the first time, a 18.7% increase compared with 2016 with local retailers accounting for more than 80% of the total spend.

Australia Post today released its annual Inside Australian Online Shopping Report– an overview of Australia’s eCommerce market which identifies who is buying what and where online.

Ben Franzi, Australia Post General Manager for Parcels & Express Services, said Australians shopped online to access greater value, choice and convenience, and a clear example of this was the rise of online market places.

“Marketplaces – such as Amazon, eBay and Etsy – are booming, growing 74.8 per cent in the past year alone,” Mr Franzi said.

“Australians really appreciate the convenience of being able to access goods from a variety of sellers in the one location.

“In the past year we have seen new marketplace entrants, which is always great to see, in recognising the increased customer traffic that this type of format offers.”

Mr Franzi said marketplaces, such as Alibaba’s Tmall Global and JD.com, were helping Australian retailers access the lucrative international market, the total online spend of which has increased 46.7% to $US1.57 trillion ($A2.08 trillion) in the past two years. Read more

Dynamic Business - 28 May 2018