Half of online spend going overseas

While Australia has experienced rapid growth in online shopping, the lack of local big brand retailers selling online is forcing shoppers to buy from overseas competitors, according to the organizer of the forthcoming Online Retailer Expo and Conference.

Event director Mark Harvey said Australia is several years behind the US and UK, adding “there’s no reason why we should be.”

“Australian consumers are voting with their wallets when it comes to shopping online,” he said. 

Harvey said the Australian Payments Clearing Association (APCA) found that almost 50% of total online spend is directed towards international purchases. 

“According to Forrester Research, Australian online spending is expected to grow to $32 billion by 2012 – a fact that has encouraged the retail community to become more focused on building and growing their e-commerce channels and businesses,” he said.

Harvey said the “phenomenal feedback” from last year’s Online Retailer Expo and Conference was a “clear indication that the Australian market has a large appetite for an event devoted to helping retailers build their e-commerce channel and sell online.”

 “As the first major business forum for the internet retailing and e-commerce industry in Australia, we received over 3000 registrations, which led Online Retailer to debut as the second largest online retailing event in the world,” Harvey said.

This year’s Online Retailer Expo and Conference will be held at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre from July 6 to 9.

A feature of the event will be the inaugural Online Retail Industry Awards, which will recognise “excellence in e-commerce retailing”.