Australian households have splashed out a record $64 billion in online shopping in the past year.
The new figures from Australia Post reveal that 9.4 million households shopped online, equating to a whopping 82% of households.
The most popular items ‘added to the cart’ were home and garden items such as furniture and electronic goods – with $18.7 billion spent.
However, the biggest overall growth is in money spent on food and alcohol stores, and variety stores.
Queensland households led the way, recording the strongest year-on-year growth of online purchases than any other state.
The fresh data means that online shopping now makes up over 18% of all retail sales.
By 2033, Australia Post predicts around 1 in 3 retail dollars will be spent online.
Australia Post Executive General Manager Parcel, Post and eCommerce services Gary Starr says the shift in the way we work, live and shop is here to stay.
“Aussies’ love affair with online shopping has not waned, even with restrictions removed. One million more households are now shopping online compared to 2019, and 5.6 million households made an online purchase every month during the past year,” Mr Starr says.
“Australians are shopping online more often, with 37 per cent shopping fortnightly compared to 20 per cent pre-COVID. The growth trend in online was steady prior to COVID-19 but spiked during restrictions, now it’s showing a return to normal trend growth. By 2033, we expect around one in three dollars will be spent online.”
November was the most popular month for online shopping, where a record 6 million households made an online purchase.
