Australia Post has published the results of its second Inside Australian Online Shopping report, which provides an overview of e-commerce in Australia.
The report, which draws on all of Australia Post and StarTrack’s customer and delivery data, showed online shopping sales soared 11.5% in 2016 when compared to the previous year, and domestic retailers accounted for 79% of the total online spend.
Ben Franzi, general manager of e-commerce and international, Australia Post, said, “Australians’ love of fashion and department/variety store items continued, with the two categories accounting for more than half of all online sales. Price, range and convenience are the three main reasons why consumers shop online, and why growth rates remain strong. Online shopping empowers people to shop at a time that suits them.
“Almost one third of all online purchases were made from 7:00pm-10:00pm, while 18% were made from 2:00pm-5:00pm. Australians are increasingly using their smartphones to shop online, with purchases made from a mobile device growing 52%.”
Other popular items included personalized goods, which grew 28.2%. The report also showed that more online retailers were offering shoppers the ability to co-design and add their own personal brand to products such as watches, handbags and other accessories.
Point Cook in Victoria was the number one buying location for the second consecutive year, reporting 13.2% growth, followed by Toowoomba in Queensland (7.6% growth) and Liverpool in New South Wales (15% growth).
Together, Australia Post and StarTrack deliver more than four billion items to 11.6 million addresses across the country annually. Franzi said the data provided critical information for businesses looking to get ahead in a tough retail market.
“Here in Australia we know the online shopping industry is about to be disrupted, and retail as we know it won’t ever look the same,” added Franzi. “The Inside Australian Online Shopping report is a powerful tool to help businesses understand their existing and potential customers better, so they can create targeted offers and grow their sales by giving consumers what they want based on facts and data.”
For more information or to download a copy of the Inside Australian Online Shopping report, click here.
July 20, 2017