AS today figures show online sales lifted over 12% last month, Aussie consumers are now flocking to ‘Clicks & Bricks’, not just ‘Clicks’ e-tailers.
Its no longer pure Internet or ‘Click’ operators that are the big winners in e-commerce, says Alan Oster, its high street stores like Myer, David Jones and JB Hi-Fi, who have both a physical and online presence.
Spending at Internet retailers, both domestic and international, hit $14.7 bn in total last year and rose by 12.6% to $1.27 in December, compared to Dec 2012, as spending on goodies like Xbox, PS4 games, toys, food and booze, surged.
All the Aussie retail majors have waxed lyrical about their omni-channel presence both instore, online and mobile, assuring investors a retail sales resurge was imminent. But their multi-channel efforts will pay off even more in 2014.
Online is “not a channel that’s going to slow down” Oster told CN, and predicts Internet sales are set to grow around 20%, and will make up 10% of bricks and mortar sales – up from 6.5% currently.
If this comes to pass, this will mean consumers here will be on par with our US counterparts, in terms of online retail spend.
JB Hi-Fi, an early entrant to the online game, said this week online sales rose 15%, making up 2.2% of total sales, and has over 1.23 million consumers entering its virtual doors, weekly.
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