Online spending tops $62 billion, up 12.3 per cent.

 

Latest e-commerce insights from Australia Post estimate that in 2021:

 

Athletic and leisure wear, baby products, pet products and footwear were among the most popular categories for online shoppers last year, according to Australia Post.

 

More than four in five Australian households shopped online during 2021, spending $62.3 billion on physical goods, driving the online share of total retail to 19.3 per cent.

 

Online purchases in 2021 were up 12.3 per cent when compared to 2020, and almost double the pre-pandemic level, according to Australia Post’s 2022 Inside Australian Online Shopping Report

 

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.

 

In 2019, the average shopper 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. Interestingly, the time of day people choose to shop has also shifted, with more purchases made between 2pm and 5pm, and fewer between 7pm and 10pm.

 

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.