Total sales reached A$32.8 billion! Woolworths' online business surges

During the epidemic, online shopping has become mainstream and the e-commerce process of various industries has accelerated. On Thursday, Australian supermarket and grocery store chain Woolworths reported a surge in online sales in the six months ending December.

Online sales surge

According to ZDNet, in the second half of 2020, Woolworths Group 's e-commerce sales increased by 78% from A$1.65 billion last year to nearly A$3 billion, of which the penetration rate of online sales increased by 8.2%.

Woolworths also reported a significant increase in average weekly visits to the group's e-commerce platforms , up 62.4 per cent to 20.2 million per week, as customers increasingly shop online.

Separately, Woolworths said its Rewards app had more than 3.9 million downloads and total membership continued to approach 13 million. During this period, the Woolworths app has seen a number of feature upgrades, including new built-in features such as aisle navigation, smart lists and Scan & Go integration to help customers shop quickly and securely.

Overall, the growth in online performance has driven the Woolworths Group's total sales for the six months from A$32.4 billion to A$35.8 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10.6% , and net profit after tax increased by 16% to A$1.14 billion. The group's total profit before interest and tax increased by 10.5% year-on-year to A$2.09 billion.

Online food sales are growing fastest

According to TechCentral, Woolworths Food 's online sales increased 158.5% year-on-year , accounting for 2.2% of total sales .

Its subsidiary Country Road saw online sales rise 52.5 per cent, accounting for 31.6 per cent of total sales . Overall sales for fashion , beauty and home ( FBH) fell 11.2 per cent year-on-year , however, online sales grew 118.8 per cent .

Elsewhere, Woolworths ' David Jones reported a sales drop of 8.8 per cent (down 10.5 per cent compared to like-for-like stores) with a big boost in online sales , which increased 55.5 per cent in the period and accounted for 17.7 per cent of total sales.

Mid- market clothing retailer Country Road saw online sales rise 52.5 per cent , accounting for 31.6 per cent of total sales in the period .

Woolworths revealed that in the half year ending December 31, 2020, more consumers began to purchase goods through online channels .

Woolworths

Australia

E-commerce

Sales