eCommerce Market Update

Six months of extraordinary growth

We’ve seen unprecedented growth in Australia’s online shopping market in the first half of 2017. To give your business an insight into the opportunities this presents, we’ve put together an interactive snapshot of the year so far. Alternatively you can download this report as a PDF.

The big picture

We've seen accelerated growth in the last six months of the financial year – three percentage points higher than the first half of the financial year.

Year-on-year growth in online purchases

Jul – Dec
12%

year-on-year
growth

Jan – June
15%

year-on-year
growth

  • Jul
    1%
  • Aug
    16%
  • Sep
    11%
  • Oct
    13%
  • Nov
    20%
  • Dec
    13%
  • Jan
    20%
  • Feb
    3%
  • Mar
    21%
  • Apr
    4%
  • May
    25%
  • Jun
    19%
FY15/16
FY16/17

More Australians are shopping online

Online Purchase Growth in FY17

  • WA 9%
  • NT 10%
  • SA 13%
  • QLD 13%
  • NSW 15%
  • ACT 13%
  • VIC 16%
  • TAS 15%
Lowest
growth Highest
growth
Gradient

0%

more online purchases Australia-wide in FY17

Metro locations are growing faster...

Metro
Locations

0%
growth

Regional
Locations

0%
growth

...but regional locations have the edge in some categories.

Specialty
Food & Liquor

Metro:

0%
growth

Regional:

0%
growth

Variety
Stores

Metro:

0%
growth

Regional:

0%
growth

All categories have experienced growth...

Media, Fashion, and Health & Beauty are growing the fastest. This is predominantly driven by Books, Women's Fashion and Beauty Products.

Media

0%
growth

Fashion

0%
growth

Health & Beauty

0%
growth

Growth by Category

Overall
growth

0%

Metro
Locations

0%
growth

Regional
Locations

0%
growth

...but who's buying what?

Fashion

x2

more women than men are buying Fashion Products

Beauty

x4

more women than men are buying Beauty Products

Consumer Electronics

x3

more men than women are buying Consumer Electronics

Beauty & Cosmetics

18 - 39
x1.5
40+

Age 18 – 39 buying
more than 40+

Media

18 - 39
40+
x1.5

40+ buying
more than 18 – 39

Toys

18 - 39
x1.5
40+

18 – 39 buying
more than 40+

Category Share by Age and Gender*

Category
Female
Male
18 - 39
40+
79%
21%
59%
41%
25%
75%
52%
48%
69%
31%
50%
50%
66%
34%
29%
71%
51%
49%
39%
61%
52%
48%
62%
38%
53%
47%
32%
68%

*Due to rounding, figures may not add up to 100%.

Looking ahead

Australia's online shopping boom is showing no signs of slowing down. To benefit from this growth, make sure you're focusing your marketing efforts in the right areas. For more insights into the state of the eCommerce industry, download the 2017 Inside Australian Online Shopping report or contact us at acquire@auspost.com.au.

Download this report as a PDF

Disclaimer

This information has been prepared by Australia Post using a subset of deliveries in the 12 months to June 2017, compared to the same period the previous year, unless otherwise stated. Percentage growth and share are based on online transactions. Demographic trends are sourced from the Australia Post consumer survey 2017. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy at the time of publication, Australia Post takes no responsibility for any errors or omissions herein. Australia Post does not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any use of or reliance on any information contained here.