A new report from Australia Post has found that more than four in five (81 per cent) Australian households have shopped online in 2021, spending $62.3 billion on physical goods.
This amount brings the online share of total retail to 19.3 per cent.
The 2022 Inside Australian Online Shopping Report showed that national growth in online purchases was up 12.3 per cent when compared to 2020, and almost double the pre-pandemic level.
The new report from Australia Post provides insight into the latest Australian eCommerce trends seen throughout 2021.
Australia Post Group CEO and Managing Director, Paul Graham, said the pandemic brought about a fundamental shift in the way Australians live, work and shop, and that online shopping is now a mainstay for Australian families when purchasing everything from clothing to day-to-day household items.
Right across the 2021 calendar year Australians turned to online shopping like never before, and with fluctuating restrictions and 15 million people in lockdown at one stage, eCommerce was a lifeline for people and businesses alike,” Graham said.
“Even as restrictions eased, Australia’s love of online shopping has not faltered, evidenced by the 5.4 million households we saw buying online each month last year, representing a 39 per cent increase from 2019,” he said.
AusPost also noted that increased confidence and comfort with buying online saw shoppers increase their willingness to shop around, sharing their dollars across a broader cross-section of retailers and expanding their online purchases into new categories.
The national postal service said that the average shopper in 2019 bought from nine individual retailers; in 2021, that figure increased to 15, while the number of categories increased from six to eight over the same time period.
The time of day people choose to shop has also notably shifted, with more purchases made between 2pm and 5pm, and fewer between 7pm and 10pm.
“Today’s online shoppers are looking for choice and convenience, reliability in supply and delivery, and with 75 per cent thinking about sustainability when they shop online, it’s having an enormous impact on which brands they choose to buy from and where they spend their money,” Graham said.
“While we expect the growth we’ve seen over the last two years to moderate, shoppers’ eagerness to buy online will continue to increase, and Australia Post is ready and committed to supporting our customers as we move into this next phase of retail in Australia,” he said.
To prepare for the eCommerce boom, Australia Post announced back in October 2021 to invest an additional $400 million by mid this year in new facilities, fleet and technology.
The postal service is also improving the customer experience with new solutions including 2-hour ETA notifications which are being progressively rolled out.
Across the country in 2021, metro areas saw growth of 12.9 per cent year-on-year, while regional locations saw growth of 10.6 per cent.
The report revealed that among the top online spending made by households were at Athleisure, Baby Products, Footwear and Pet Products.
Point Cook in Melbourne’s west was the top online shopping location nationally for the seventh year running, followed by Liverpool in New South Wales, and Hoppers Crossing in Victoria.
Source: Australia Post newsroom