More evidence has been released that shows more consumers will jump online to grab a bargain this Christmas.
A survey from Getprice found 87 per cent of the 1,800 respondents had purchased online from an overseas retailer. More than half stated broader product availability was a key factor in shopping on international retail sites highlighting the fact that local retailers should make more of their product range available online.
At the same time, the battle for parking spots at shopping centres and navigating through big crowds are turning people away from Christmas shopping in-store.
David Whiteman, Getprice marketing director, said this survey highlights the opportunity for retailers.
“Over the year, we have seen more and more Australians realising the benefits of online shopping. We can expect this to peak during the busy Christmas retail period as other factors affecting the offline shopping experience like crowds and parking spaces become problematic,” he said.
“As a retailer, if you have not integrated a digital shopping experience, both web and mobile, with your retail store, you will lose out. It’s now very easy for shoppers to go somewhere else to find what they’re looking for.”
The survey also found that one in five respondents would shop less on international sites if the Australian dollar falls below 90 US cents and a further 16 per cent would shop less if it fell below 80 US cents.
Additionally, three out of five people asked retailers to price match online prices but only half of those retailers would do so.
“The boom of mobile shopping has provided consumers with more power when it comes to bargaining. However, when requesting a price-match, it’s important that shoppers make sure they are comparing like for like. Product features and bundles, warranties, return policies, shipping costs, and personal customer service are all things that change the retail price,” Whiteman said.
“The results of this survey reiterate the strength of online retail in Australia and there are no signs of it slowing down.”