The pandemic has turbo-charged e-commerce on several fronts.

 

Australian consumers – locked down and isolated by the COVID-19 virus – are increasingly going online to shop for a wider range of products and services.

 

The acceleration of the trend to online shopping has in many cases more than made up for the loss of foot traffic to bricks-and-mortar outlets as customers become increasingly confident in the e-commerce space.

 

Wesfarmers

Wesfarmers – which owns Bunnings and Officeworks and online shopping haven Catch.com.au – said sales have rapidly moved to digital platforms.

 

"The group's retail businesses delivered total online sales growth of 60 per cent during the year, excluding Catch," Wesfarmers managing director Rob Scott said.

 

Total online sales across the group in the full year to 30 June 30, including the Catch marketplace, increased to $2.1 billion.

 

"This reflects the significant investment in digital capabilities over recent years, as well as the continued change in customer preferences towards online shopping," Scott said.

 

NAB survey

According to the most recent NAB Online Retail Sales Index, in the 12 months to June, Australians spent $35.7 billion on online retail, that’s around 10.7 per cent of the total retail trade, and about 23 per cent higher than the 12 months to June 2019.

 

Australia Post

Australia Post is predicting that online sales will account for 15 per cent of all retail sales by the end of 2020. Newly imposed retail restrictions in Victoria are also expected to drive another big wave of e-commerce transactions in August. 

 

Growth was led by large sales category, grocery and liquor, along with media, homewares and appliances, and personal and recreational goods. 

 

Kogan

Online retailer Kogan, which operates an online-only retail platform, increased its revenue by 13.5 per cent to $497.9 million compared to the prior year. 

 

Gross sales, which includes all sales made through the company's third-party platforms, rose nearly 40 per cent to $768.9 million.

 

Chief executive Ruslan Kogan said: "There is a retail revolution taking place as more and more shoppers learn about the benefits of e-commerce."

 

He pointed to the company's growth in the number of new customers who had placed a repeat order, which has increased 40 per cent over the second half of the financial year, as a sign of the changing times in the retail sector.”

 

Office Choice

Dealer group Office Choice’s brand strategy and digital customer acquisition program has seen its website traffic and referrals direct to members increase significantly in recent months.

 

The group’s focus new products and services saw it launch a national e-commerce website that resulted in new customer sales to over 58 per cent of members in its first month (June), with a steady stream of repeat orders coming from across the country.