Australian Online Shopping in the Lead Up to Christmas
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If you’ve been shopping online during the lead up to Christmas, you may have contributed to one of the biggest online shopping days in 2011. Find out how your online shopping habits have been compared to other Australians.
Leading companies in the area of online shopping have recently forecast that this holiday shopping season will see the highest traffic levels ever, with December 11 forecast to be the biggest online shopping day of the year. Australia Post, eBay and PayPal all concur on these forecasts for a record e-commerce shopping spend of over $30 billion as consumers choose online retail sites in order to save money and time on their holiday presents this year.
Many shoppers are also using their mobile devices to shop for Christmas presents. PayPal is estimating that the week of December 5th will be the busiest shopping week in the country, with an estimated 1.6 million Australians shopping on eBay.com.au on December 11th alone. The Australia Post also predicts that online shopping will account for an extra 3 million packages shipped in the month of December.
According to PayPal, the strong Australian dollar has not caused a major change in shopping preferences. They note that over 70% of online shopping still takes place with Australian merchants. The rate of online shopping in the country is growing at a 12% annual clip with 63% of Australians shopping on at least one overseas website in 2011.
Google Australia also released search figures recently which showed that more than 30% of searches which included the keyword ‘Christmas’ included food and beverage search terms. They also predicted that online shopping would post a dramatic rise as the holidays approach. The next month is likely to see a big spike in search traffic related to shopping, according to the head of retail for Google Australia.
These figures for online shopping in Australia can be illustrated in a different light. They translate into 1 item of women’s clothing selling online every 6 seconds, and one piece of fashion jewellery selling every 12 seconds. A new watch will be sold online every 46 seconds while a pair of women’s shoes will sell every 40 seconds. The total of all these purchases is expected to boost Aussie e-commerce revenues past the 30 billion mark by year end.
According to the managing director of PayPal Australia, Elene Wise, online commerce in Australia has grown at a rate of 11% year on year as there has been a rush to open online stores in Australia. The trend has been for both Australian retailers and international retailers to target the Australian e-commerce market due to the increased demand by Australian consumers to shop online.
People are expected to pursue their online shopping via multiple channels this year, including smartphones, PCs and in store sales all receiving a boost. Australian consumers are demanding a combination of greater flexibility, security and convenience in their holiday shopping experience.
Online shopping offers the ultimate in convenience for time poor consumers who need to stock up on holiday presents. According to the vice-president of eBay Australian consumers have become more savvy in hunting for online bargains over the last year. She estimates that there are over 10 million Australian consumers who are now shopping primarily online, and these shoppers are typically going online to find the best deals on holiday gifts. They not only save money but time and energy as well so they can devote more time to their family and friends.
Australia Post – www.auspost.com.au
PayPal Australia – www.paypal.com.au
