Australia’s leading online commerce enablers, PayPal, eBay and Australia Post, are forecasting this coming week to be the busiest ever online shopping week, peaking with eBay.com.au’s busiest online shopping day on Sunday 11 December.
With Australian online commerce set to reach $30 billion by the end of the year[1], according to PayPal’s Secure Insights report; eBay, PayPal and Australia Post predict a surge in spending this week as consumers look to save time and money by shopping for this year’s Christmas presents online or via their smartphone.
- PayPal predicts w/c 5 December to be the busiest online shopping week Australia has ever seen
- eBay forecasts w/c 5 December to be the busiest week for purchases culminating in Sunday 11 December as the busiest online shopping day with over 1.6 million Australian’s visiting eBay.com.au on that one day alone
- Australia Post predicts they will deliver an extra 3 million parcels in December this year
Elena Wise, Acting Managing Director, PayPal Australia said: “Over the last year, online commerce in Australia has grown at a rate of 11 per cent and a huge number of Australian and international retailers have opened their virtual store doors to Australians. This year, consumers will be shopping across a mix of retail channels, from their PC’s, to their mobiles to in-store. Wherever they are shopping, consumers are looking for flexibility, convenience and security.”
Deborah Sharkey, Vice President, eBay, said: “When it comes to hunting down the best products at the best prices, Australian consumers have stepped up a gear in the last 12 months and are now an army of savvy online deal hunters. With more than 10 million Australians now shopping online, smart shoppers can get the best deals on gifts and save time and energy to spend on the most important ingredients of the festive period - friends and family.”
Ahmed Fahour, Managing Director and CEO, Australia Post said Australia Post is making sure they’re ready for the surge in volumes. “We’re opening more than 700 of our retail outlets for extended hours on weekdays and have 2,400 retail outlets now open on Saturdays to make collecting your parcels even easier. Since July, we’ve seen parcels growing at almost 13 per cent compared to the same time last year – a figure which can be directly linked to Australians taking up online shopping in record numbers. ”
On Sunday 11 December 2011 on eBay.com.au:
- A piece of women’s clothing will be sold every 6 seconds
- A piece of fashion jewellery will be sold every 12 seconds
- A pair of women’s shoes will be sold every 40 seconds
- A watch will be sold every 46 seconds
For PayPal’s tips on safe and secure online shopping this Christmas click here
[1] Forrester Consulting, Q3 2011. Taken from PayPal’s Secure Insight Report, Nov 2011