In 2019 more Australians shopped online than ever before, with new research released by Australia Post revealing that the number of online purchases grew by a staggering 17.2 per cent year on year (YOY).
Australia Post has released its 2020 eCommerce update, taking a close look at the online shopping trends that emerged in 2019, and how they are impacting shoppers' behaviours.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday grew 31.6 per cent YOY in 2019 and occurred in late November - merging with the traditional peak sales time for Christmas shopping.
Australia Post General Manager Parcel & Express Services, Ben Franzi said the 2019 growth of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday festival was unprecedented.
"What we are seeing is that the online sales events are dictating shopper spending, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday 77 per cent bigger than the first week of November," said Mr Franzi.
"As would be expected, the first half of December had the highest volume for the year, closely followed by the two weeks prior to Christmas, which grew by 18 per cent.
"Victoria saw the biggest growth in online shopping across the nation, with an increase of 19.9 per cent YOY, followed closely by South Australia at 16.9 per cent growth YOY. The Northern Territory had the least growth at just 7.7 per cent.
"A third (33.4%) of all online shopping deliveries occurred in New South Wales despite the state seeing below average growth at 16.5% YOY.
"We saw a higher demand for parcels to be delivered quickly in 2019, with next business day deliveries up 21 per cent YOY, with many Australians loving to shop for clothing and apparel and wanting it as soon as possible, and accounting for 59 per cent of next business day deliveries," Mr Franzi continued.
Shoppers also took advantage of alternate delivery options, with deliveries to Post Offices and Parcel Lockers proving popular with 33.2 per cent growth YOY. Home deliveries were still the preferred method, accounting for more than 80 per cent share.
Looking ahead, Black Friday will fall on 27 November this year. This timing, coupled with buyers knowing the bargains they get on these days, means growth for this period is expected to once again surpass anything we've seen before.
Download a copy of the Australia Post eCommerce update, which is based on Australia Post's exclusive delivery data.
