Shopping | Internet Marketing Blog

Online sporting goods industry set to reach $1 billion in Australia

Australia’s online sporting and physical recreation goods industry is expected to hit a huge $1.04 billion by 2018, thanks in large part to a changing retail landscape and an ageing population.

A new IBISWorld report has forecasted that online stores selling goods such as bicycles, camping equipment, exercise and fitness tools (excluding apparel) will see revenue increase by an annualised 6.3% over the next five years.

And one of the reasons for this expected rise in revenue is Australia’s ageing population, who are focusing more on health and fitness after retirement.

by Claire Brinkley 02 May 2013 23:30pm 1 comment

Australian consumers turn to domestic online retailers

Australian consumers are shying away from international online retailers if the recent NAB Online Retail Sales Index is anything to go by.

Domestic retail accounted for almost three-quarters (73%) of total online sales in Australia in January 2013, and domestic online retail sales saw a higher year-on-year growth than international, rising 28% vs 25%.

by Claire Brinkley 08 April 2013 22:30pm 0 comments

Online shopping: China leads the pack in the Asia-Pacific region

It seems China has some of the keenest online shoppers in the Asia-Pacific region, with Chinese consumers more likely purchase online than any other APAC country.

A new Mastercard study measured consumers’ tendencies to shop online between November and December 2012 and found that Chinese internet users shop online the most, registering a score of 102 on Mastercard’s Index for 2012, a figure that is up four points on the year prior.

According to the report, one of the main reasons for this rise in online shopping popularity in China is due to increased consumer confidence. Of those surveyed, only 21.4% felt unsecure when shopping online, down from 32.8% in 2011 and 35.3% in 2010.

by Claire Brinkley 02 April 2013 23:45pm 3 comments

Woolworths’ brand value soars, while the Australian gap between consumers and local retailers remains an issue

Woolworths has been named the top retail brand in Australia for the second year running, beating out supermarket competitor Coles by almost a billion dollars.

Interbrand’s 2013 Best Retail Brands report, which ranks the top retail brands around the world by value, placed Woolworths brand value at $4.57 billion, an increase of 9% on the year prior.

by Claire Brinkley 26 March 2013 22:00pm 0 comments

Bad news for online catalogue advocates: Australia prefers print

It seems that online catalogues have a long way to go when it comes to engaging customers, as only 11% of Australians currently read catalogues online.

According to research conducted by the Australian Catalogue Association (ACA) in the lead up to Christmas 2012, more than 70% of Australians over the age of 14 prefer to read printed catalogues than online versions.

by Claire Brinkley 25 March 2013 22:00pm 0 comments

Australian group buying sites. Here to stay or fading fast?

Australians spent $504m on group buying sites in 2012, a rise of 1.4% on the year prior, leading some industry experts to predict that group buying is here to stay.

According to a new Telsyte study, in Q4 2012 Australians spent more than $130m on group buying sites and the combined revenues of the top five deal sites saw a growth of more than 9% year-on-year.

Groupon and Scoopon showed the strongest performances, seeing a combined 40% year-on-year rise.

by Claire Brinkley 10 March 2013 22:00pm 0 comments

eBay: we expect to take over $20bn through mobile in 2013

‘Market leader’ is a banned phrase at Econsultancy and for good reason, but unfortunately it’s also one of the only ways I can think of describing eBay when it comes to mobile.

The company expected to make $10bn in mobile revenues in 2012 and recent figures showed that its app has been downloaded by a whopping 43% of Android users.

Ebay has also held several high profile demonstrations of mobile shopping in London and been a prominent campaigner for improved 4G access in Europe.

I caught up with eBay's senior director for mobile commerce Olivier Ropars to see what the company has planned for 2013...

by David Moth 07 March 2013 12:25pm 0 comments

10 tips for improving the click and collect customer experience

Click and collect (or reserve and collect, or whatever) is becoming ever more popular, to the extent that it is now a vital offering for any large multichannel retailer.

The reason? It fits perfectly with customer research behaviour, and allows retailers to drive footfall into their stores.

The experience must be right to maximise sales, and a new report from ExperienceLab looks in detail at the click and collect experience of major UK retailers.

It's a big report, but I've summarised some of the findings here and pulled out some key tips for retailers...

by Graham Charlton 07 March 2013 11:07am 4 comments

What fashion and beauty retailers can teach you about site search

Style is everything when it comes to marketing fashion and beauty brands online. Consumers expect visually rich product presentations and easy ways to compare options like colours and sizes.

That’s why online merchants selling fashion and beauty products are at the forefront of implementing new ecommerce strategies that highlight their products in high style.

Just like they do on the high street, they fill their online storefronts with scintillating features that allow shoppers to browse colours, styles, silhouettes and patterns, with advanced search results, sorting options and merchandising tactics that help visitors quickly find the products they need and convert them into buyers.

by Vishal Srivastava 07 March 2013 10:05am 2 comments

Australian ecommerce: Nine stats you might have missed

The ecommerce landscape in Australia is becoming increasingly complex and although consumer spend continues to grow via online channels, retailers and marketers are seeing various positive and negative elements emerging in the marketplace.