Survey Shows Online Shopping Will Comprise 6.3% of Total Retail Sales

Perth, Western Australia (PRWEB) August 06, 2012

A recent report showed that online shopping will expectedly take up 6.3% of total retail sales for 2012, as an increasing number of Australians are now making their purchases over the Internet.

This forecast was included in a PricewaterhouseCoopers and Frost & Sullivan Global Retail and Consumer report, which also mentioned that by 2012, 9.6 million Aussie consumers aged 15 and above will make their purchases online.

According to industry experts, the growth of online shopping may be attributed to the growing presence of more online retailers. In addition, factors such as better and more direct communication between consumers and retailers, product expansions and the increasing popularity of mobile commerce will further contribute to online shoppings growth.

Among the sectors predicted to perform best within the next 5 years are footwear, clothing, fashion accessories and jewellery.

With these numbers, Stuart Harker, Global Retail & Consumer Advisory Partner at PwC, explained that retailers in the country must now improve their services and seriously consider using the online platform to take their businesses to the next level.

Harker said, “Like retailers in the US and UK are doing, Australian retailers must fundamentally rethink their strategy, particularly in relation to their real estate and store portfolio.”

“The days of growing by simply opening more stores are long gone,” he added.

The same report predicted that online shopping sales will amount to $ 16 billion by the end of 2012 (or 6.3% of the $ 253.8 billion projected total retail sales) an increase of 17.6% from $ 13.6 billion expenditure last year.

The report also showed that 55% of online shoppers expressed that the main reason they shop online is because of lower prices in online stores, while 15% said that it is more convenient to shop online.

Mobile devices play a key role in driving the growth of online shopping 34% of online purchases have been made through mobile devices for the past 12 months, with 57% of Aussies saying that their online shopping via mobile devices have increased over the year.

Notably, the report said that 88% of Australian consumers are expected to increase or maintain their online spending, indicating a strong drive for online retail in months to come.

Kirk OConnor, Spanky Medias Director of Development, explained how businesses can take advantage of this boom in online retail.

OConnor said, Consumers have evolved aside from adapting to current technology, they look for value in their purchases. They want to have a wide variety of product choices. So retailers should tap into these desires by starting to use the online platform in their marketing campaigns.

Businesses should start utilising effective online marketing campaigns build WordPress websites, engage in social media by creating Facebook brand pages, start a mobile website to target a wider market. These strategies will bring you closer to your market and will give them the convenience they wont get in traditional retail stores eventually increasing your business profitability.

Spanky Media is a leading web development company in Australia which provides numerous services, designed to help businesses and individuals make the most out of their web marketing campaigns. Their services include WordPress and mobile website development, eCommerce, Facebook fan pages, and many more.

Contact Spanky Media today for your online marketing needs at 1300 729 261 or visit their company website http://spankymedia.com.au/.

Survey Shows Online Shopping Will Comprise 6.3% of Total Retail Sales