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Australia holds a place as the 10th largest e-commerce market in the world by revenue.
This is thanks, in part, to Australia being home to a wealthy population within which there is a significant internet penetration; 21 million of the country’s 25 million inhabitants access the internet. Seventy-three percent of which are said to have made purchases online during 2018.
In a report completed by Australia Post — the company responsible for delivering all of the e-commerce goods across the country — it was found that between 2017 and 2018 Australia’s total e-commerce revenue was AUD $27.5 billion, and it’s growing by 20.2 percent year on year.
For perspective, retail is only growing at 6 percent each year. At present, e-commerce makes up 10 percent of the total retail revenue.
The top categories securing the purchases from Australian consumers are:
- Variety stores – 35.6 percent
- Fashion – 27 percent
- Homeware and appliances – 11.5 percent
What’s interesting about the Australian e-commerce sector is the gradual introduction of a service called AfterPay, which first came out in 2015 and took some years to achieve widespread adoption across retailers and e-tailers. With this service, Australian consumers can pay off products in installments, with no interest. Between 2017 and 2018, this service was responsible for 6.7 percent of all payments.
Top 10 Australian Ecommerce Sites
For a complete picture of the Australian e-commerce market, we have turned to SimilarWeb to analyze the top-performing sites and bring them to you for a closer look at who dominates Australia’s online markets.
Much like it’s wealthy counterparts abroad, the Australian e-commerce market is made up of a mix of American e-commerce super-powers — such as eBay and Amazon, which both sit in the top three — as well as local players, such as Woolworths, JB Hi-Fi and Kmart. Apart from the American influence, however, it is only UK-founded Gumtree that has made its way to the top 10, highlighting the strength of Australian brands in the Australian e-commerce sector.
Supermarkets, department stores, electronics, and discount specialists make up the majority in our top 10, with only Kogan.com and the marketplaces coming in as pure e-commerce platforms.
1. eBay Australia
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 68.22 million
eBay was one of the very first e-commerce platforms to reach Australia, establishing itself in 1999, just four years after its launch in the US. Since then, eBay has continued to reign supreme in the Australian e-commerce sector, holding the top position ever since it arrived.
eBay Australia mirrors the services of its international platforms, allowing individuals and companies alike to sell directly through the platform, both in auctions and immediate sales. The categories available include fashion, motors, home and garden, electronics, collectibles, and more.
2. Gumtree Australia
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 33.57 million
The UK-founded Gumtree made its way down under in 2007 and has since established itself as the top marketplace and classifieds site in the country, where millions of Australian’s buy and sell goods and services.
Gumtree Australia operates in categories, including apparel, accessories, cars and vehicles, home and garden, jobs, real estate, services for hire, and more.
3. Amazon Australia
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 28.80 million
Amazon opened its doors in the US way back in 1994 as a leader in the e-commerce space, offering a place for businesses to become sellers and consumers to gain access to the broadest range of goods on the planet.
While Amazon was shipping to Australia for some time, it only set up a presence in 2017, meaning it has only been operating in the country for three years and has already climbed to be the third-largest e-commerce site in the country. Today, Amazon offers Australians a range of goods including digital media, books, electronics, fashion, fitness, automotive and much more.
4. Woolworths
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 17.58 million
Woolworths is an Australian supermarket that started in the 1920s, launching brick and mortar stores across each of the states and territories. Today, it is the largest e-commerce presence of all supermarket chains in the country. Part of the Woolworths Group, Woolworths provides a range of groceries, as well as other goods and services, including recipes.
The Woolworths online range includes categories for fruit and vegetables, meat, seafood and deli, bakery, dairy, health and beauty, household and lunchbox, among others.
5. JB Hi-Fi
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 17.18 million
Founded in Australia in 1974, JB Hi-Fi began as a brick and mortar retailer supplying consumer electronics and entertainment goods. In 2000 JB Hi-Fi launched its e-commerce site and has seen significant success as the country’s leading online provider of electronics goods. They have also expanded to New Zealand.
The JB Hi-Fi range of items includes categories for computers and tablets, TVs, headphones, speakers and audio, smart home, mobile phones, gaming, drones and robotics, and home appliances.
6. Kmart Australia
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 16.90 million
Another Australian born retailer, Kmart first opened its doors in the country in 1967, operating as a variety store chain with low-price items. Today Kmart operates in both Australia and New Zealand, with 200 stores, as well as an online presence across both countries.
Pioneering in the discount goods sector, Kmart offers low-priced consumer items in categories from home and living to electronics, women, men, kids, babies, sports, gifts, and parties. Fashion is the category that the majority of Kmart consumers use the site for.
7. Big W
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 12.28 million
Part of the Woolworths Group, Big W is another Australian discount retailer that has had a strong presence across the country since the 50s, when it first opened its brick and mortar stores, which today totals more than 180.
It was 2010 when Big W opened its online store, bigw.com.au, and it has since grown to become one of the leading online variety stores — in direct competition with Kmart. Big W offers goods in categories like baby, kids, women, men, home, travel, and outdoor.
8. Kogan.com
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 10.33 million
Kogan.come is the only Australian-founded pureplay e-commerce site on this list. It launched in 2006, spotting a gap where no pure-play e-commerce site existed to sell online consumer electronics. It began selling TVs before expanding to include a larger range of consumer electronics. In 2016, Kogan.com acquired Australian electronics retailer Dick Smith, further strengthening this category.
Today, Kogan.com offers products in a broad range of categories from consumer electronics to home and garden, furniture, office supplies, baby and kids, and more.
9. Coles
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 10.12 million
Coles is an Australian grocery chain, which, alongside Woolworths, forms a duopoly in the Australian market. Since opening its doors in 1914, Coles has expanded to more than 800 stores across Australia.
In the early 2000s, Coles came online to offer customers goods through their e-commerce platform, and by 2003 it was one of the largest online supermarkets. Today its online site offers grocery items including fresh produce, bakery, dairy, liquor, as well as household items, such as glassware, utensils, and more.
10. Chemist Warehouse
Estimated number of monthly visitors: 8.74 million
Chemist Warehouse is an Australian retailer that first opened its doors in 1973 to provide customers with a wide range of goods that one would find at the chemist, just at a better price-point.
Operating under a franchise model, Chemist Warehouse became a significant brand in the Australian retail sector, and thanks to its online store, it now services the entire country offering discount goods including medicine, vitamins, cosmetics, health items, paramedical products, and other pharmaceutical items.