Australians prefer local products when shopping online

According to GlobalData's survey results, Australia 's e-commerce market will grow by 13.4% this year . As English-speaking countries, how do Australians' online shopping habits differ from those of the United States and the United Kingdom?

Research organization ACRS surveyed 1,609 consumers in Australia , 301 consumers in the UK and 306 consumers in the US , and interviewed retailers to analyze the online shopping habits and characteristics of Australian consumers.

The study found that 84% of Australian consumers have shopped online in the past three months, with 37% doing so at least weekly. Since the start of the pandemic , half of online shoppers said they have shopped online more frequently , with only 4% saying they have shopped less frequently .

According to ACRS’s findings, clothing, footwear and accessories purchases dominate the shopping list, accounting for more than half (56%) of all online purchases. This is followed by groceries (41%), household items such as home furnishings and hardware (33%), and personal care items such as cosmetics and baby care (32%). Women spend more on clothing , while men focus more on personal care items.

“ Before the pandemic , more than two-thirds ( 68%) of Australian shoppers used physical stores as their main channel for non-grocery retail purchases, with less than a third (32%) using online channels . ” As pandemic lockdowns and restrictions became the norm, 64% of Australian shoppers turned to online platforms as their main channel for non-grocery retail purchases.

The ACRS study also looked at shipping preferences in each region surveyed, noting that Australian consumers more often choose free shipping ( 65%) over fast delivery, much more than UK shoppers ( 51%) and US shoppers ( 52%) , who prefer same-day delivery .

Buying locally produced products is also important to Australian shoppers ( 65%), which is also higher than shoppers in the UK ( 58%) and the US (48%).

The survey of 1,500 Australian consumers by technology company Emarsys also found that the most annoying situations for consumers when shopping online include: failure to obtain free returns ( 50% ) , items not being available at checkout ( 45% ) , poor customer service experience ( 41% ) , inaccurate product images or not being able to see the items displayed ( 39%), and difficult or long returns ( 33%).

Australia

Online shopping

E-commerce