Almost 20 cents out of every dollar spent on retail purchases in Australia last year was spent online, as Australia Post reveals the suburbs driving the surge.
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Of the top ten suburbs with the highest volume of online shopping, all of them are more than 20 kilometres from the CBD of their nearest capital.
All ten were in Victoria and NSW, which both experienced several months of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and lockdowns last year.
The total online spending around the country hit $62.3 billion, making up 19.3 per cent of retail purchases as e-commerce grew by 12.3 per cent on the year, with more than 80 per cent of households doing some form of online shopping.
"Australians turned to online shopping like never before, and with fluctuating restrictions and 15 million people in lockdown at one stage, e-commerce was a lifeline for people and businesses alike," Australia Post CEO Paul Graham said.
Consumers have grown in confidence buying online as well, with shoppers ordering a wider variety of items from a larger pool of retailers.
Shoppers are also becoming conscious of sustainability, increasingly influencing purchase decisions online as well as traditional factors likes convenience and reliability, Mr Graham said.
While many Australians were locked down in their homes with outdoor exercise one of the few excuses to leave, athleisure wear purchases were most popular, along with footwear and products for babies and pets.
Point Cook in Melbourne's southwest was the top online shopping location for the seventh consecutive year.
The suburb had a median age of 32 at the 2016 census, well below the national median of 38.
AUSTRALIA'S TOP ONLINE SHOPPING SUBURBS
* Point Cook, Vic
* Liverpool, NSW
* Hoppers Crossing, Vic
* Cranbourne, Vic
* Craigieburn, Vic
* Rouse Hill, NSW
* Camden, NSW
* Gosford, NSW
* Campbelltown, NSW
* Wyong, NSW
Australian Associated Press
