EBay still trumps Amazon, survey finds

Heather McIlvaine

30th Oct 2018

A recent survey of 3000 digital consumers in Australia, the US and UK provides fresh insights into the way people shop online and in-store and the impact of global entrants, such as Amazon and Zara.

According to the study, released by BigCommerce on Thursday last week, one of every four dollars of monthly discretionary income in Australia is now spent online, but the relationship between online and offline channels is far more nuanced.

Forty-eight per cent of Australian consumer respondents visited a brand’s website before making a purchase in a physical retail store, and 26 per cent will attempt to price match the product online.

Australians spend approximately 26 per cent of their discretionary income on online purchases, five percentage points lower than the global average. Aussie respondents on average said they cap their online spending at $670 per month, significantly less than shoppers in the UK, who reported spending up to $1305 per month, and the US, who reported spending up to $1130.

Australians respondents were nearly equally as likely to say they shop on mobile (39 per cent) as desktop (41 per cent). They were significantly less likely than their counterparts in the US and UK to say that they would opt out of sharing data with retailers over privacy concerns.

Contrary to popular belief, the study found that Australian retailers’ concerns about the impact of global brands like Forever21 and Zara are overblown. Fifty-seven per cent of Australian respondents said these global retailers would not impact their decision to buy from local merchants.

The study also revealed that only 24 per cent of Australian respondents have purchased from Amazon in the past six months, compared to 80 per cent of US and UK respondents.

EBay remains far more popular with Aussie consumers, 63 per cent of whom have made a purchase on the platform in the last six months. This is just two per cent lower than the number of respondents (65 per cent) who have made a purchase in a physical store in the same time-frame.

“In Australia, we’re seeing a huge shift in the retail industry. Consumers are calling for the barriers between online and in-store shopping to be broken down as they seek a smoother shopping experience across platforms,” said Jordan Sim, group product manager at BigCommerce.

“The Australian market is proving to be a unique beast compared to other markets, and retailers need to listen to how Australians are actually shopping today. Our hope is that these insights will provide retailers with the tools and knowledge they need to create shopping experiences that inspire customer loyalty and drive conversion.”