Australia’s leading online commerce enablers are predicting this week will be the busiest online shopping week Australia has ever seen. PayPal, eBay and Australia Post have forecast their busiest online shopping day this year will be on Sunday 11 December 2011. According to PayPal’s Secure Insights report, eBay, PayPal and Australia Post predict a surge in spending this week as Australian consumers seek to save time and money by shopping for this year’s Christmas presents online... ...Read more »

Google Australia predicts strong growth for online presence of food and drink retail in Australia. Today, it offered advice to Australian retailers with an online presence as the market gears up for the holiday season. According to Google Australia’s figures, 31 per cent of online “Christmas” specific searches during 2011 involve the food and drink retail sector. Google Australia & New Zealand’s Head of Retail, Ross McDonald said today, “Over the next five weeks shopping-related... ...Read more »

Australian supermarket chain Coles has apologised to customers who thought they had found a bargain yesterday when two beer lines were inadvertently listed with the wrong price on its online shopping website. 24-bottle slabs of Coopers Sparkling Ale, which Coles usually sell for A$53.99 each, and 24-bottle slabs of James Squire Golden Ale, normally listed on the website at A$54.99, were listed with a price of just A$15.99. Word about the cheap deal quickly spread through the social media platform... ...Read more »

Newly appointed CEO of Australian retail giant Woolworths Limited, Grant O’ Brien, has unveiled a multi-pronged strategy to expand the company’s operations in Australia. In a series of media statements, the company announced plans to create 10,000 new retail jobs before the current financial year ends, as well as a five-year plan to double sales of Woolworths supermarkets’ own brand products. According to the statements, Woolworths plans to open 39 new supermarkets, seven new BIG Ws and 15... ...Read more »

A new website, eFarmersMarket, is aiming to bring fresh Australian-made artisan food products to the doorstep of busy Australians everywhere. The website, launching this month, features a range of 750 all-Australian products, including messages from producers about their products and how they are produced. A huge variety of products are available, from an antipasto to sweets, with sections specifically for organic and gluten free products. eFarmersMarket endeavours to source all natural products... ...Read more »

Coles Supermarkets have expanded their online grocery shopping areas to include Hobart, Launceston, Devonport, Towoomba, Darwin and selected Top End locations. Shoppers in the new areas will be able to use the Coles website to shop for over 18,000 product lines, including groceries, fresh produce, bakery, meat and deli products, which will be delivered to their homes. The new service will also create more than 20 jobs in Darwin and more than 85 in Tasmania, and has been welcomed by the Premier of... ...Read more »

To celebrate World Consumer Rights Day (15 March), the International Consumer Protection Enforcement Network has launched a website to deliver better consumer protection world-wide.”As more consumers participate in global markets there is a strong and growing need for effective cross-border consumer protection,” ICPEN president and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission deputy chair Peter Kell said on Monday. “The new user-friendly site, www.icpen.org, will help ICPEN members... ...Read more »

US retail giant Walmart has announced plans to create Global.com, a new unit set up to improve its business online. The news is a further indication of the steady retail push toward the online channel. The unit will be headed by Wan Ling Martello, formerly the chief financial officer of Walmart International. She will assume the role of executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Online shopping has continued to significantly outpace the growth of traditional retail channels around... ...Read more »

Online grocery sales are set to surge if forecasts from the UK are on the money, with researchers predicting the next five years will see sales almost double to £7.2bn (A$12.9b). In 2009, 13% of adults have shopped online for groceries – an increase of 63% on 2006. Three out of five (61%) online grocery shoppers use more than one online store for their food shopping. And half (49%) would like to try other supermarket websites, but many are put off by the perceived effort involved. Online Shopping... ...Read more »

Australia’s organic and sugar industries can look forward with anticipation to a successful 2010, according to a leading market forecaster. A list of the top sectors for the year ahead from information analysts IBISWorld Australia also includes online shopping, as the major retailers – including supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths – begin to embrace the online channel. IBISWorld’s Ian MacGowan said rising commodity prices were the reason behind many of the industries on... ...Read more »