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Aussie e-tailer urges online shoppers to keep this Christmas green and gold

Announcement posted by Bench PR 01 Dec 2010

Online retailer eStore.com.au is calling for Australian consumers to buy from local online retailers this Christmas, despite the soaring Australian dollar.

According to Lorenzo Coppa, Chief Executive Officer and tech entrepreneur of eStore.com.au, prices of products from online Australian retailers are significantly lower than those available from overseas online stores.

“While it might seem cheaper to buy from an overseas online retailer, the reality is that the price of the product can increase substantially once you add on the shipping cost,” said Coppa. “Furthermore, with certain types of goods such as technology products, there can be issues associated from buying overseas such as warranties, compliance with Australian standards and damage to the products while in transit which may not be honoured by overseas online stores.”

According to PayPal’s ‘eCommerce: Secure Insight’ report from Forrester Research and The Leading Edge, the Australian online retail market is set to reach AU$36.8 billion by 2013, up from a forecasted figure of AU$26.86 billion for calendar year 2010.

The report also found that Australians showed a preference to ‘buy Aussie’ with nearly a quarter of Australian adults only shopping online with domestic websites. With the main driver of overseas shopping being a wider choice, rather than price.

The report findings are in line with results from eStore.com.au indicating a rise in the company’s online sales. “Over the last few months, we’ve noticed an increase in Australian consumers shopping online,” said Coppa. “This correlates to a 52 per cent increase in our online sales compared to the last financial year.”

Coppa adds that consumer behaviour is changing and consumers are getting more technology savvy and comfortable with buying online.

“Shopping for commodities is well suited to an online shopping environment, said Coppa. “Consumers today generally know what they want whilst trying to save time and money. Many consumers research their options thoroughly and then hunt online for the best prices around,” added Coppa.

To showcase the benefits of buying locally, eStore.com.au has priced a similar product it sells against US online retailer Amazon*:

  • Acer G245Hbmid Black 24" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor which retails for USD $251.53 (AUD $261.38) by Amazon is being sold by eStore.com.au for AUD $179 ( after a AUD$39 cash back from Acer Australia)
  • Samsung S2 640Gb portable hard drive which is listed on Amazon for USD $118.34 (AUD $123.06) is being sold by eStore.com.au for AUD $79

Coppa also warns that Australian consumers buying technology products online need to be aware that:

  • some electronics can only support 110v and not 220v like in Australia. Products supporting 110v are also incompatible with Australian power points
  • for shipments over $1,000; GST must be paid to Customs
  • communication devices such ADSL routers and mobile phones may not be compliant with Australian standards and may be illegal to use in Australia
  • buying from overseas retailers could result in receiving counterfeited branded products
  • electronic and PC games that are not rated or censored to Australian standards may get confiscated by Customs
  • purchasing from unreputable operators may result in the product not having any warranty.

“Buying locally also means that you’ll get your goods quicker and in time for Christmas compared to buying from overseas online retailers who may face additional problems such as getting the products cleared by Australian Customs and shipping delays during the Christmas rush,” said Coppa.

*Prices are correct at the time of distribution

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