According to the latest Sensis data, Aussie consumers are very picky about where they spend their dollars online, largely favouring home-grown businesses over overseas ones.
It’s music to the ears of every Australian small business owner.
The 2014 Sensis e-Business report has revealed Aussie consumers prefer to do their online shopping at local businesses. While three in four Australians are making online purchases, only 25 per cent are purchasing from overseas businesses, down from 32 per cent last year.
Keeping it local
“Almost half of all Australian businesses that sold online reported mainly selling to local customers,” said Yellow Pages Sales general manager, James Ciuffetelli.
Based primarily on the June 2014 Sensis Business Index, as well as telephone interviews with over 1,800 small and medium size enterprise (SME) business owners, the study findings are great news for the Australian online market.
84 per cent of online businesses reported selling to customers in the same city or town
A whopping 84 per cent of online businesses reported selling to customers in the same city or town, with 52 per cent selling to customers within their state and 53 per cent interstate.
With e-commerce offering customers the opportunity to purchase in a global marketplace, it’s interesting to see strong interest in Australian businesses from local consumers,” said Ciuffetelli.
Getting up to speed
The report also highlighted some major holes in the Australian online retail landscape, including the finding that just two per cent of all Australian online businesses are connected to the National Broadband Network. A further 26 per cent of businesses reported having no mobile specific website, despite the now 78 per cent of Australians accessing the internet on their phones.
Just two per cent of all Australian online businesses are connected to the National Broadband Network
Unfortunately, while 95 per cent of SMEs reported being online, only 19 per cent admitted having some form of strategy for the business’ digital activities.
“The report highlights the importance of having an e-business presence for SMEs, to reach the bulk of their customers,” said Ciuffetelli.
Indeed, 69 per cent of SMEs with websites reported having an online presence improved the effectiveness of their business, mainly by increasing exposure.
Have your say: How important has having a website been to attracting customers to your business?