Australian consumers are giving a clear indication of what they want from businesses and now it’s up to those businesses to respond.

At a recent retail summit held by the Australian Information Industry Association and Australian Retailers Association, industry experts said Australian businesses need to increase their presence online to keep up with the customers they are trying to cater to.

The latest Roy Morgan State of the Nation report found internet shopping has experience more than a decade of year-on-year growth and now over 50% of Australians shop online, with total spending equating to $24.3 billion online for the 12 months to March this year.

This figure was an increase of 11.9% from March 2012 and outstripped total retail sales growth for the same period by 8.5%.

However, despite the continual increase in consumers shopping online, the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show only 43% of Australian businesses have a web presence. Those figures reflect especially poorly on small businesses, with only one-third of micro businesses online.

With eCommerce quickly becoming the favoured way of shopping for many consumers, Google’s retail industry leader Ross McDonald says Australian businesses are playing catch-up.

“Australian businesses are years behind Australian consumers,” McDonald says. “Measure your business from what your next-door neighbour, brother, mother, nieces and nephews expect of today’s retailer.”

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