Forget Amazon: 70% Shop @ Aussie E-Tailers
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Aussies are retail loyalists as 70% of consumers still buy from local e-retailers.


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This is despite the advent of online shopping opening the virtual doors for Australian consumers, who can now purchase from eBay, Apple and Amazon.

Two thirds of Australians have used the Internet for shopping in the past year and 70% of these shopped at OZ e-tailers.

Men, however, spend around double the amount of money women do.

JB Hi-Fi and Deals Direct are just two of the top e-tailers in the tech space at least, and predictions are that all the high street names like Myer, David Jones will be among the top 10 e-tailers in OZ in the future, although they still have some way to go before they get there.

But this jump to online doesn’t mean the end for bricks and mortar retailers. No sir.

That’s according to new research by Telstra, which reveals the behaviour of ‘omnishoppers’ – consumers who research and purchase through a variety of channels, including websites, apps and in-store.

Consumer spends on average more than $2,000 annually on both online/offline purchases.

90% of consumers who bought online in the past year also purchase in-store, with over 30% from the same retailer, meaning there is no pure web or retail consumers in Oz.

The research quizzed 800 respondents in total.

Half of respondents quizzed also admitted to ‘showrooming’ – going into a mortar store to check out a product before buying online.

However, it is interesting to note one in four of those shoppers actually bought their goods online from the same retailer they showroomed at.

So, the secret for retail success?

Traditional retail experience combined with a strong online capability for modern shoppers.

“Physical shopping no longer ends when the customer walks out of the door,” says said Gareth Jude, Retail Industry Executive, Telstra.

“Australian omnishoppers indisputably exist today, driven by our adoption of the internet and popularity of mobile devices.” 

Jude described the emergence of the omnishopper as “an enormous opportunity for retailers” and says the findings demonstrate the importance of retailers having a ‘multi-channel’ consumer experience.

“69% of Australian online shoppers spend their money with Australian retailers – so the online dollars stay here in Australia – they’re not necessarily going overseas”.

 

“Australian retailers have to blend the price and convenience of online shopping with the sensory experience and customer service from physically being in a store.”

Customer experience is now as much about technology as on physical displays, and retailers must choose the technical platforms and partners carefully, says Jude.

The Telstra study ‘How you can join the Omnichannel Shopper in transforming Australian retail’, also highlights the importance of building bridges between the physical and the virtual store – through technologies like in-store Wi-Fi and digital media, or online customer interactions via mobile devices.

This supports separate research released last week, which suggested the “store of the future” would be one where technologies like  ‘click and collect,’ in-store kiosks and apps were commonplace.